A pooch, a plane and an unfortunate problem
December 8, 2010
Kelly E. Carter
Tags: dog bites passenger, US Airways
One of my furry friends made news this week but not in a good way. A terrier en route to Palm Springs with its 89-year-old owner bit a passenger and a flight attendant on an US Airways flight after its mommy opened its cage.
Pet parents are supposed to keep their little ones caged at all times on a plane. But I can understand this elderly lady opening Mandy’s cage on the flight from Newark to Phoenix because it’s a long trip and they were in first class, where I usually travel also.
My mommy usually abides by this rule but it depends on the length of the flight. In the photo above we were flying all the way from Zurich to Los Angeles. I needed to breathe a little bit during 12-hour flight. There were only two other passengers in first class and they were seated next to each other as far from us as possible. So there was plenty of room for me to stretch out. Plus, my mommy knows I would never do something like bite someone or run around a plane. The most I do is beg for human food, and only from her.
Some people will argue that pets shouldn’t be on airplanes anyway. But we went on a six-week European vacation. What was she supposed to do with me? Keep me in a kennel for six weeks at the cost of about $3,000. Or not go and then blame me. Both of us love to travel and this was our family vacation.
Thankfully I have the kind of parent who would never check me like a piece of luggage. So many dogs die when they travel in the hold. I imagine little Mandy and her mommy were going to Palm Springs for the winter to escape the east coast winter. I like them! But Mandy’s owner, and all owners, should know their dog’s behavior well enough to predict how it will act in certain situations. If there’s any question then it’s better to err on the side of caution.
Pets and planes do go together but it’s up to the pet parents to be responsible.
Entry Filed under: Travel
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