Air Travel and Pets; Food for Thought

http://news.yahoo.com/airport-worker-fired-refusing-load-dog-180226755.html


How does a sore-ridden, emaciated dog get approved, by any employees of an Air Carrier, to be allowed on a flight?

The dog has to be put into a carrier cage, the carrier cage has to be ticketed and put onto a trolley, the carrier cage has to be stored in a secured location until loading.  How does this happen?  Did the ticketing counter agent ignore the signs?  What about the baggage agent who transported the carrier to the secured area?  Was the carrier itself not examined by a security officer?  How many times was the ball dropped on this situation?

Aside from the health of the poor animal itself, what if it had a contagious illness and other pets were being flown on the same flight?  How would you feel if your beloved family pet caught a disease from an ill pet that who was allowed to fly?

How can an Air Carrier be so callus, so thoughtless, and so reckless?

I believe the problem lays not only in the training and employees in this situation, but also in the context.  We need to push for pets not to be considered "cargo".  If pets were recognized as living, breathing beings with needs, then this situation may never have happened. 

After getting the status of pets/animals changed, every Air Carrier should have a vet tech on staff to review the condition of the 'animal passenger' to make sure they are fit to fly and that they are not a risk to any other 'animal passenger'.

By law, pet owners are required to provide and care for their animal charges.  Individually, we spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a year for our pets' vet bills, their food, their toys, etc.  Why should an Air Carrier be allowed to sabotage our efforts with careless actions during flights?  Why are Air Carriers not held accountable, by law, just as owners would be in the same situation?

And, finally, how does that poor dog get returned to it's owner without fines, court appearances, etc.?  Where were the authorities in this abuse case?  Or, were they even called?

It's a sad day for animals, and animal lovers alike, when so many people fail an animal all at once.  I pray that God blesses this poor pooch and brings him better luck in the future.

Proof that Chihuahuas are "REAL" dogs

For all those people who believe that Chihuahuas aren't "real" dogs, please visit this link.  A small Chihuahua scared off a mountain lion.

http://www.yourchihuahua.com/chihuahua-mountain-lion.html