United Airlines: Police probe as dog dies after owners were ordered to put it in overhead locker on flight

A fellow passenger shared this image of the dead dog after it was forced into an overhead bin by United Airlines cabin crew
Alexandra Richards15 March 2018

Police are investigating the death of a dog which died on a United Airlines plane after a flight attendant demanded that its owners store their pet in an overhead cabin.

The Houston County District Attorney’s Office, working with the county’s animal cruelty task force, has launched a probe into the incident which occurred on Monday.

Police said on Wednesday that once the investigation is complete they will decide whether or not criminal charges are warranted.

Carvana Cloud, Chief of Houston County District Attorney’s Office said: “We have a task force, an animal cruelty task force led by precinct 5 and they are conducting the investigation.”

'Tragedy': the dog was in a standard pet-carrier
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Catalina Robledo was travelling with her daughter Sophia Ceballos, 11, and her son on a flight from Houston to New York when they were asked to put their dog in the overhead cabin.

United Airlines said that the flight attendant who asked the family to put the pet carrier in the overhead store was not aware the pet was inside it.

The family disputed those claims.

United have since acknowledged that there was a dog in the carrier but claimed that the flight attendant “did not knowingly place the dog in the overhead bin.”

The treatment of Dr David Dao from United Airlines received widespread criticism
Reuters

A spokesman said: “We have spoken to the family, our crew and a number of passengers who were seated nearby. We have learned that the customer did tell the flight attendant that there was a dog in the carrier.

“However, our flight attendant did not hear or understand her, and did not knowingly place the dog in the overhead bin. As we stated, we take full responsibility and are deeply sorry for this tragic accident. We remain in contact with the family to express our condolences and offer support."

The company said it plans to issue bright coloured bag tags by April for customers travelling with in-cabin pets to make staff aware when an animal is onboard.

The incident prompted Senator John Kennedy to send a letter to United President Scott Kirby demanding an “immediate explanation for the number of animals who have died in United Airline’s care.”

He later said that he planned to pass a bill on Thursday banning airlines from putting pets in overhead bins.

“I will be filing a bill tomorrow that will prohibit airlines from putting animals in overhead bins. Violators will face significant fines. Pets are family,” he said.

The US Department of Transportation is also investigating the incident.

A spokesman for the DOT said: “DOT is looking into the circumstances surrounding the recent death of a pet onboard a United Airlines flight and is in contact with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency that enforces the Animal Welfare Act and handles complaints about alleged animal mistreatment.”

On Thursday United accidentally flew a German Shepard to Japan instead of Kansas.

United Airlines said in a statement to KCTV5 News: "An error occurred during connections in Denver for two pets sent to the wrong destinations. We have notified our customers that their pets have arrived safely and will arrange to return the pets to them as soon as possible.

“We apologise for this mistake and are following up with the vendor kennel where they were kept overnight to understand what happened."

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