Cautionary tales expose pet travel dangers - Military Travel, hottest travel destinations - Military Times

Cautionary tales expose pet travel dangers

The news of seven puppies dying aboard an American Airlines flight in early August has resulted in a nationwide discussion of the dangers of shipping pets. Two military families shared their experiences with Military Times.

A family devastated

Melanie Allen moved from Belgium to Alaska ahead of her soldier husband, children and pets. The Allens had made arrangements to ship the pets — a pair of 3-year-old Newfoundland dogs and four cats — aboard Continental Airlines from Amsterdam to Anchorage, with a layover in Houston, last October.

Allen hired a bus and driver to pick up the animals and drive the five hours to North Pole, Alaska.

At 9 a.m. on the day the animals were to arrive, the bus company called with devastating news: Duke, one of the dogs, had died on his flight — under circumstances the airline has never fully explained, Allen said.

Continental officials are researching the circumstances surrounding Duke’s death, but indications are that he did not die as a result of Continental’s handling, said spokeswoman Christen David.

Allen’s veterinarian said indications are that Duke died before his airplane landed in Anchorage, although the exact cause of death could not be determined.

David said Continental’s PetSafe shipping program “is regarded as one of the best in the business, with extensive training for animal handlers.”

When transit time for animals exceeds 18 hours, she said, Continental requires a transit stop. At Houston, where Allen’s pets had a layover, they were given food and water, walked and placed in the air-conditioned kennel, she said.

It is standard procedure that if an animal is ailing in any way, an emergency veterinarian is called in, David said. Such instances are relatively rare among the estimated 2 million pets and other animals shipped each year, including many of the hundreds of dogs flown to dog shows each year.

Since a change in law required commercial airlines to begin reporting these incidents, 122 dogs and 22 other pets died while being shipped as cargo on commercial flights, according to data the Transportation Department released in July. Another 88 had been lost or injured.

There is no information on how many of those animals belonged to service members, but troops who move from one base to another over the course of a military career may ship pets multiple times.

Gravely ill

Coast Guard wife Kendra Parks bought her Great Dane, Tucker, before she met her husband-to-be. “I didn’t choose this enormous dog so I could ship him around the world,” she said.

But, she said, Tucker was worth the $1,800 that it cost to ship him to Hawaii, and $850 to ship him back, along with a $500 custom-made crate. But when the 6-year-old dog arrived June 7 in Seattle on a flight from Honolulu, he was gravely ill and dying.

“He was covered in feces, blood, saliva, was extremely dehydrated and couldn’t even stand on his own. He wouldn’t take food or water or respond to our voices,” Parks said. “He was healthy on Sunday, June 6.” Tucker was cleared by a veterinarian a few days before he was shipped. The dog had flown before, from Seattle to South Korea and back to Seattle, and then to Honolulu.

Like Allen, Parks said she had trouble getting in touch with Continental officials — until a news outlet reported on Tucker’s death.

Continental officials are working with Parks on the issue. They contend the dog didn’t die as a result of the transit, David said.

Allen said she still thinks about Duke every day. “My biggest dream is to get a Newf ... with the bloodlines that Duke carried, so I can have a piece of him here with us again,” she said.

Related reading

• Shipping pets safely to your next duty station

• Getting help with shipping pets