A Bend, Oregon, woman is blaming United Airlines after her golden retriever arrived sick and later died following a longer-than-planned trip from Michigan.
Kathleen Considine had arranged for her mother to have 7-year-old Jacob flown to her new home in Oregon from Detroit, following a mandatory physical exam, on a United Airlines trip expected to take a total of 10 hours, according to Local 4 News in Detroit.
In a Facebook post, Considine explained that she had a giant crate for Jacob and that she was told it should fit in the cargo hold on both legs of the flight to Oregon. She later learned that there was a problem in Chicago:
"When Jacob landed in Chicago, it was found that the airline agent LIED and he did not fit on the plane to Portland. He was then sent to a kennel over night, 20 HOURS, until the next flight out he could fit on."
According to KGW, Jacob ended up spending 20 hours in a kennel without food. The airline also reportedly didn't allow Considine's mother to provide food because the original trip was expected to be relatively short.
Considine said in the post that Jacob arrived in Portland disoriented and non-responsive. After the three-hour drive to Central Oregon, she said that his condition worsened.
Jacob eventually was taken to an emergency vet, where he died after several minutes of CPR.
In lengthy Facebook post, Considine said that Jacob died because "his stomach flipped due to the stress of his journey that was 20 hours longer than expected, and suffocated his organs." She also expressed her feelings on how she the airline handled the incident as well as its "PetSafe" program.
Local 4 News in Detroit reached out to United Airlines and received the following statement:
"We were deeply saddened to hear of Jacob's passing after we returned him to the care of his owner. Our PetSafe team is committed to the safety and comfort of all the pets that travel with us. We worked to ensure Jacob's comfort throughout his entire journey and he showed no signs of distress nor behave in a way that would suggest he was unwell while in our care. Though we understand little can ease the grief that accompanies the loss of a pet, we've been in touch with Ms. Considine to offer our condolences and discuss this matter further."
For the latest updates on this story, read more at Local 4 News in Detroit.
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