A 140-pound mastiff failed to make the flight from Miami to San Francisco International Airport last month. The cause of death: a sweltering four-hour layover in Houston, apparently.
According to the dog's owner, Michael Jarboe, his three-year-old pet named "Bam Bam" had no health problems before taking off in Miami. During their layover in America's fattest city, however, Jarboe spotted his dog sitting out on the tarmac, sweltering in a luggage crate. "We were right there," Jarboe told Floridian TV station WSVN, "he was so hot. His tongue was hanging down. Never, ever, have I ever seen him that hot."
According to United Airlines, the carrier on this particularly sweltering August flight, pets are kept in air conditioned vehicles if the layover lasts more than 45 minutes. Unfortunately, the airline allegedly failed to follow their own guidelines and left the pup to fend for himself out on the runway. When Jarboe's flight landed at SFO, a United employee broke the sad news: "The guy came out and said, 'I'm sorry he didn't make it,' " Jarboe told the NY Daily News.
Meanwhile, the airline denied responsibility for the incident, saying their employees followed proper dog-handling procedure and that the dog's short-nosed breed complicated matters: "Our holding facilities are USDA animal welfare-approved and provide ample room and air ventilation," the airline explained. "In addition to regular monitoring and watering provided by trained pet safe personnel. We have refunded the full transport fare for the dog and are working with Mr. Jarboe on additional compensation." Per the airline-funded necropsy, the dog died of a heart attack. The airline apparently offered Mr. Jarboe compensation in the form of travel vouchers, but the dog owner turned them down.
This comes on the heels of yet another canine-related United blunder. Last week, supermodel Maggie Rizer claimed that the airline killed her golden retriever during a cross-country trip, and then lied about investigating the pooch's death.
