Bulldogs top the list of dogs that die while flying

By Rhonda Cook

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Bulldogs and pugs account for almost half the dogs that have died while being transported as airplane cargo in the past five years, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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CURTIS COMPTON, AJC Before each Uga is a year old and flies for the first time, he must undergo a procedure to enlarge his airways.

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One reason, the U.S. Humane Society said,  is these breeds have "problems breathing and with air flow. It’s [flying] a stressful experience for a dog. They are in a crate, [in] a small enclosed area. There are new smells. Then the plane takes off and it's an unsettling experience. And [there is] the noise," said Adam Goldfarb,  director of the  Humane Society's pet risk program.

Dogs usually react to stress by panting, he said.

Beginning in May 2005, airlines have been required to report when pets die, are injured or escape during air travel. In that time, 132 dogs died, according to the report released Friday.

There were 92 pets injured or lost between May 2005 and last May.

"When it comes to traveling with your pets, consider... whether your pet wants to go with you and whether it's worth it, Goldfarb said.

Sonny Seiler of Savannah, Ga., who owns the University of Georgia's mascot, Uga the English bulldog, said people who fly English bulldogs are taking a risk. Seiler said that's why he takes precautions. Before each Uga is a year old, Seiler has a procedure done at the University of Georgia veterinary school to enlarge the dog's airways.

"They go into the nasal passage and clip muscles and tissue and in essence, what they do is they make a bigger air passage," Seiler said. "It's a quick procedure, and once you have it done it really eliminates a lot of the problems with the breathing."

Uga routinely flies to the football team's away games, often in the team's charter plane or the university's smaller plane, and is in the cabin or an air-conditioned cargo hold, said Seiler, who is now searching for the eighth Uga. The seventh died last football season, and his half-brother Russ, the backup, is the acting Uga during the quest for No. 8.

"It's just business as usual with us," Seiler said of Uga's air travel. "He goes with the team."

Susan Elliott, spokeswoman for Delta Air Lines, said it is rare that the Atlanta-based company has problems with dogs but there are certain months when the animals cannot travel as cargo.

The data that linked dog deaths to specific airlines was not available.

According to Delta's website,    "snub- or pug-nose dogs and cats" are not allowed when the temperature is above 75 degrees and other breeds when the temperature exceeds 85 degrees. None are allowed when the weather is colder than 29 degrees.

According to the report to DOT,  25 English Bulldogs were among the 122 dogs that died in transit. Pugs were second, with 11 reported deaths.

There were six French Bulldogs and four American Staffordshire Terriers.

The top of the list, however, also included seven Golden Retrievers and seven Labrador Retrievers, popular breeds with long snouts.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.