United forces woman to put puppy in overhead bid, where it dies during flight

[Anonymous]

Interview with the owner just came out

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dog-owner-united-disregarded-pet-barks-article-1.3873638

Dog owner says United disregarded her pet’s barks for help before it died in overhead bin

From the interview:

Robledo tearfully recalled not being able to check on her dog, because her newborn was on her lap.

News Wire Services
Robledo tearfully recalled not being able to check on her dog, because her newborn was on her lap.
(WNJU)
A mother of two was forced to watch her French bulldog get stuffed into the overhead compartment of a United Airlines flight, begging a hostess not to put the ill-fated pooch up there.

Catalina Robledo helplessly listened to the dog, Kokito, yelp before eventually dying aboard the Houston-to-New York flight Monday, she told Telemundo.

“The dog barked and barked but I could not stand,” because her newborn baby was on her lap and the plane was going through turbulence, Robledo said in Spanish.

The flight crew, she continued, did nothing as Kokito barked.

Dog dies after being stored overhead during United flight

Kokito was reportedly in a dog carrier that the flight crew said was blocking the aisle, so a stewardess put the case in the overhead storage bin.

Robledo and people sitting nearby tried to explain there was a dog inside, passengers said.

She wasn’t able to get to Kokito until four hours later as the plane arrived at LaGuardia Airport.

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“I grabbed him on the floor and said: ‘Kokito breathe, breathe,’” she told Telemundo in Spanish. “But he was already dead.”

The stewardess claimed she didn’t know there was a dog inside the carrier, Robledo said, and left the plane crying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a terrible story and I feel for those who saw a dead puppy as they deplaned, owners included. I say this as someone who doesn't like dogs.

However, I can't help but think the current of culture of "I'll take my pet everywhere with me and invoke the law to sue you if you challenge me, be damned!" contributed to the flight attendant's thought process that resulted the dog's placement in the overhead bin. I imagine that air stewards are fed up with passengers who think the rules apply to everyone except them. I work in an industry that utilizes similar protocols as aviation (healthcare), and I can attest that visitors and patients toe the line between acceptable and non-acceptable use of animals in healthcare environments.

Pretty much anyone can claim their pet is a "support animal" nowadays, and depending on where and how they do it, they can get away with it without having to produce documentation or proof beyond the stupid vest they bought on Amazon or bogus certificate they procured on the internet.

The flight attendant made an error in judgment by asking the family to place the dog in the overhead compartment and is going to have to live with the professional and personal repercussions, even if they are needlessly severe and invasive. I'm interested in learning more about the circumstances led to that even happening.

Her incompetence and actions led directly to the death of an innocent animal. She has totally earned any professional repercussions that she gets. if she is found to have been deliberately cruel, she should face criminal charges, too.

If you're talking about the irresponsible owner, I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why emotional support animals are being brought into *this* discussion. This was a paid pet ticket which is not the same as an ESA. The airline happy accepted her $200 to transport her pet.


If the airline can't cope with transporting pets or ESAs they should stop doing so. Genuine service animals only

Absolutely. This was a choice by the airline. ESAs are more of a gray area, because of ADA implications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't bring dogs on planes at all. Except for certified service animals.

The airline is at fault, but who in the heck flys with a baby, a small child AND a puppy? Stop doing this people. It's kinder to the animal and the rest of the passengers to leave it at home. If you can't afford to board the dog or have a dog sitter, you can't afford to fly and own a dog.

The family is just as at fault as the airline.

Dogs are no people.

Quit dragging them to places they do not belong, airplanes, school yards, little league ball fields, the grocery store, home depot, restaurants...

That poor flight attendant.

What? That flight attendant is awful and deserves to be fired.

She does not deserve to be killed for this and yet people on this thread are calling for her death.

Yes, the poor flight attendant. She made a mistake. Maybe she knew there was a dog in there. Maybe she didn't. People (including the owner) heard the dog barking and whining, yet not one person who heard it thought to check on it to see if it was okay? Not even the owner? Not once?

The flight attendant is going to get death threats and more from the online crazies based off only a partial recounting of what transpired on United with that dog.

Yes, the poor flight attendant.

Airline employees act like gestapo who will gave you arrested in a second if you cross them. That means that they don’t get to play the “oopsie I made a mistake you should have corrected me card.”

Airline employees act this way to avoid someone else hijacking a plane and flying it into an office building.

There is more to this story.

ummm, if a 9 month old puppy in an approved for airline travel dog carrier posed a legitimate threat to the plane/passengers/crew the PROPER way to handle it would have been to alert security and have them usher the family and and their dog off of the plane. Duh.

But that didn't happen. She stuffed the dog into the carry on compartment for other unknown reasons. And now she's trying to say that she "didn't know". Yeah, right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interview with the owner just came out

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dog-owner-united-disregarded-pet-barks-article-1.3873638

Dog owner says United disregarded her pet’s barks for help before it died in overhead bin

From the interview:

Robledo tearfully recalled not being able to check on her dog, because her newborn was on her lap.

News Wire Services
Robledo tearfully recalled not being able to check on her dog, because her newborn was on her lap.
(WNJU)
A mother of two was forced to watch her French bulldog get stuffed into the overhead compartment of a United Airlines flight, begging a hostess not to put the ill-fated pooch up there.

Catalina Robledo helplessly listened to the dog, Kokito, yelp before eventually dying aboard the Houston-to-New York flight Monday, she told Telemundo.

“The dog barked and barked but I could not stand,” because her newborn baby was on her lap and the plane was going through turbulence, Robledo said in Spanish.

The flight crew, she continued, did nothing as Kokito barked.

Dog dies after being stored overhead during United flight

Kokito was reportedly in a dog carrier that the flight crew said was blocking the aisle, so a stewardess put the case in the overhead storage bin.

Robledo and people sitting nearby tried to explain there was a dog inside, passengers said.

She wasn’t able to get to Kokito until four hours later as the plane arrived at LaGuardia Airport.

Comparisons.org
Paid content by Comparisons.org

New Rule in Mclean, VA

“I grabbed him on the floor and said: ‘Kokito breathe, breathe,’” she told Telemundo in Spanish. “But he was already dead.”

The stewardess claimed she didn’t know there was a dog inside the carrier, Robledo said, and left the plane crying.

Why did she travel with the dog?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a terrible story and I feel for those who saw a dead puppy as they deplaned, owners included. I say this as someone who doesn't like dogs.

However, I can't help but think the current of culture of "I'll take my pet everywhere with me and invoke the law to sue you if you challenge me, be damned!" contributed to the flight attendant's thought process that resulted the dog's placement in the overhead bin. I imagine that air stewards are fed up with passengers who think the rules apply to everyone except them. I work in an industry that utilizes similar protocols as aviation (healthcare), and I can attest that visitors and patients toe the line between acceptable and non-acceptable use of animals in healthcare environments.

Pretty much anyone can claim their pet is a "support animal" nowadays, and depending on where and how they do it, they can get away with it without having to produce documentation or proof beyond the stupid vest they bought on Amazon or bogus certificate they procured on the internet.

The flight attendant made an error in judgment by asking the family to place the dog in the overhead compartment and is going to have to live with the professional and personal repercussions, even if they are needlessly severe and invasive. I'm interested in learning more about the circumstances led to that even happening.

Her incompetence and actions led directly to the death of an innocent animal. She has totally earned any professional repercussions that she gets. if she is found to have been deliberately cruel, she should face criminal charges, too.

If you're talking about the irresponsible owner, I agree.

The owner actually followed airline procedure. It was the airline employee who effed up and caused the death of an innocent animal and is now apparently lying about the extent of her involvement.....shameful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a terrible story and I feel for those who saw a dead puppy as they deplaned, owners included. I say this as someone who doesn't like dogs.

However, I can't help but think the current of culture of "I'll take my pet everywhere with me and invoke the law to sue you if you challenge me, be damned!" contributed to the flight attendant's thought process that resulted the dog's placement in the overhead bin. I imagine that air stewards are fed up with passengers who think the rules apply to everyone except them. I work in an industry that utilizes similar protocols as aviation (healthcare), and I can attest that visitors and patients toe the line between acceptable and non-acceptable use of animals in healthcare environments.

Pretty much anyone can claim their pet is a "support animal" nowadays, and depending on where and how they do it, they can get away with it without having to produce documentation or proof beyond the stupid vest they bought on Amazon or bogus certificate they procured on the internet.

The flight attendant made an error in judgment by asking the family to place the dog in the overhead compartment and is going to have to live with the professional and personal repercussions, even if they are needlessly severe and invasive. I'm interested in learning more about the circumstances led to that even happening.

Her incompetence and actions led directly to the death of an innocent animal. She has totally earned any professional repercussions that she gets. if she is found to have been deliberately cruel, she should face criminal charges, too.

If you're talking about the irresponsible owner, I agree.

The owner actually followed airline procedure. It was the airline employee who effed up and caused the death of an innocent animal and is now apparently lying about the extent of her involvement.....shameful.

Where is your evidence that the the airline employee is "lying?" You're hearing one extremely biased account. An no, the owner wasn't following airline procedure, if the carrier was blocking the aisle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interview with the owner just came out

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dog-owner-united-disregarded-pet-barks-article-1.3873638

Dog owner says United disregarded her pet’s barks for help before it died in overhead bin

From the interview:

Robledo tearfully recalled not being able to check on her dog, because her newborn was on her lap.

News Wire Services
Robledo tearfully recalled not being able to check on her dog, because her newborn was on her lap.
(WNJU)
A mother of two was forced to watch her French bulldog get stuffed into the overhead compartment of a United Airlines flight, begging a hostess not to put the ill-fated pooch up there.

Catalina Robledo helplessly listened to the dog, Kokito, yelp before eventually dying aboard the Houston-to-New York flight Monday, she told Telemundo.

“The dog barked and barked but I could not stand,” because her newborn baby was on her lap and the plane was going through turbulence, Robledo said in Spanish.

The flight crew, she continued, did nothing as Kokito barked.

Dog dies after being stored overhead during United flight

Kokito was reportedly in a dog carrier that the flight crew said was blocking the aisle, so a stewardess put the case in the overhead storage bin.

Robledo and people sitting nearby tried to explain there was a dog inside, passengers said.

She wasn’t able to get to Kokito until four hours later as the plane arrived at LaGuardia Airport.

Comparisons.org
Paid content by Comparisons.org

New Rule in Mclean, VA

“I grabbed him on the floor and said: ‘Kokito breathe, breathe,’” she told Telemundo in Spanish. “But he was already dead.”

The stewardess claimed she didn’t know there was a dog inside the carrier, Robledo said, and left the plane crying.

Based on that article, my guess is that the carrier with the dog inside didn't actually fit under the seat in front of them (or maybe the area was filled with other bags they didn't want to put overhead) so they had it in the foot area, potentially hanging out into the aisle. Flight attendant told them it had to go under the seat or overhead, family said there wasn't room under seat, so flight attendant put it overhead. If she knew there was a dog in there (hard to imagine she didn't), flight attendant was totally in the wrong, she should have had the family deplane and find another way to transport the dog home. If she truly didn't know, then it's on the family.

Personally, I would have volunteered to deplane before allowing my pet to be placed in an overhead bin, but maybe their circumstances were different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interview with the owner just came out

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dog-owner-united-disregarded-pet-barks-article-1.3873638

Dog owner says United disregarded her pet’s barks for help before it died in overhead bin

From the interview:

Robledo tearfully recalled not being able to check on her dog, because her newborn was on her lap.

News Wire Services
Robledo tearfully recalled not being able to check on her dog, because her newborn was on her lap.
(WNJU)
A mother of two was forced to watch her French bulldog get stuffed into the overhead compartment of a United Airlines flight, begging a hostess not to put the ill-fated pooch up there.

Catalina Robledo helplessly listened to the dog, Kokito, yelp before eventually dying aboard the Houston-to-New York flight Monday, she told Telemundo.

“The dog barked and barked but I could not stand,” because her newborn baby was on her lap and the plane was going through turbulence, Robledo said in Spanish.

The flight crew, she continued, did nothing as Kokito barked.

Dog dies after being stored overhead during United flight

Kokito was reportedly in a dog carrier that the flight crew said was blocking the aisle, so a stewardess put the case in the overhead storage bin.

Robledo and people sitting nearby tried to explain there was a dog inside, passengers said.

She wasn’t able to get to Kokito until four hours later as the plane arrived at LaGuardia Airport.

Comparisons.org
Paid content by Comparisons.org

New Rule in Mclean, VA

“I grabbed him on the floor and said: ‘Kokito breathe, breathe,’” she told Telemundo in Spanish. “But he was already dead.”

The stewardess claimed she didn’t know there was a dog inside the carrier, Robledo said, and left the plane crying.

Why did she travel with the dog?

Because the airline advertisers the ability to travel with a dog. If you don’t like flying with dogs then don’t fly. It isn’t your right to fly. You can take a greyhound bus.

[Anonymous]

So she didn’t buy a seat for her child but paid to bring the dog on board and didn’t have its carrier completely under the seat per the requirements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interview with the owner just came out

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dog-owner-united-disregarded-pet-barks-article-1.3873638

Dog owner says United disregarded her pet’s barks for help before it died in overhead bin

From the interview:

Robledo tearfully recalled not being able to check on her dog, because her newborn was on her lap.

News Wire Services
Robledo tearfully recalled not being able to check on her dog, because her newborn was on her lap.
(WNJU)
A mother of two was forced to watch her French bulldog get stuffed into the overhead compartment of a United Airlines flight, begging a hostess not to put the ill-fated pooch up there.

Catalina Robledo helplessly listened to the dog, Kokito, yelp before eventually dying aboard the Houston-to-New York flight Monday, she told Telemundo.

“The dog barked and barked but I could not stand,” because her newborn baby was on her lap and the plane was going through turbulence, Robledo said in Spanish.

The flight crew, she continued, did nothing as Kokito barked.

Dog dies after being stored overhead during United flight

Kokito was reportedly in a dog carrier that the flight crew said was blocking the aisle, so a stewardess put the case in the overhead storage bin.

Robledo and people sitting nearby tried to explain there was a dog inside, passengers said.

She wasn’t able to get to Kokito until four hours later as the plane arrived at LaGuardia Airport.

Comparisons.org
Paid content by Comparisons.org

New Rule in Mclean, VA

“I grabbed him on the floor and said: ‘Kokito breathe, breathe,’” she told Telemundo in Spanish. “But he was already dead.”

The stewardess claimed she didn’t know there was a dog inside the carrier, Robledo said, and left the plane crying.

Based on that article, my guess is that the carrier with the dog inside didn't actually fit under the seat in front of them (or maybe the area was filled with other bags they didn't want to put overhead) so they had it in the foot area, potentially hanging out into the aisle. Flight attendant told them it had to go under the seat or overhead, family said there wasn't room under seat, so flight attendant put it overhead. If she knew there was a dog in there (hard to imagine she didn't), flight attendant was totally in the wrong, she should have had the family deplane and find another way to transport the dog home. If she truly didn't know, then it's on the family.

Personally, I would have volunteered to deplane before allowing my pet to be placed in an overhead bin, but maybe their circumstances were different.

Agree with this. It doesn't sound like the owner cared very much about her dog at all. That's what gets me about all these people constantly bringing their pets everywhere - it's not at all about the welfare of the animal. If you don't care that much about your dog (would she have allowed the flight attendant to put her infant in the overhead compartment?), you can't expect others to.

[Anonymous]

Awful tragedy. Both owner and airline were at fault- the owner should not have allowed her dog to be placed in an overhead bin. She should have had a carrier that fit under a seat. Also, don't know what she was thinking by traveling with an infant in lap, another child and a dog in a crate?
The airline should never have put the dog in the overhead- they should have figured something else out or had them get off the plane. It amazes me that that the baby in the lap is safe but a dog crate sticking out too far isn't. Also, why didn't someone get the dog out after take off? Having the aisles clear during take off and landing is the main issue with having items stick out from under the seats- no one has issue with stuff sticking out during the flight itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Awful tragedy. Both owner and airline were at fault- the owner should not have allowed her dog to be placed in an overhead bin. She should have had a carrier that fit under a seat. Also, don't know what she was thinking by traveling with an infant in lap, another child and a dog in a crate?
The airline should never have put the dog in the overhead- they should have figured something else out or had them get off the plane. It amazes me that that the baby in the lap is safe but a dog crate sticking out too far isn't. Also, why didn't someone get the dog out after take off? Having the aisles clear during take off and landing is the main issue with having items stick out from under the seats- no one has issue with stuff sticking out during the flight itself.

There's obviously more to this story than the owner's version.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a terrible story and I feel for those who saw a dead puppy as they deplaned, owners included. I say this as someone who doesn't like dogs.

However, I can't help but think the current of culture of "I'll take my pet everywhere with me and invoke the law to sue you if you challenge me, be damned!" contributed to the flight attendant's thought process that resulted the dog's placement in the overhead bin. I imagine that air stewards are fed up with passengers who think the rules apply to everyone except them. I work in an industry that utilizes similar protocols as aviation (healthcare), and I can attest that visitors and patients toe the line between acceptable and non-acceptable use of animals in healthcare environments.

Pretty much anyone can claim their pet is a "support animal" nowadays, and depending on where and how they do it, they can get away with it without having to produce documentation or proof beyond the stupid vest they bought on Amazon or bogus certificate they procured on the internet.

The flight attendant made an error in judgment by asking the family to place the dog in the overhead compartment and is going to have to live with the professional and personal repercussions, even if they are needlessly severe and invasive. I'm interested in learning more about the circumstances led to that even happening.

Her incompetence and actions led directly to the death of an innocent animal. She has totally earned any professional repercussions that she gets. if she is found to have been deliberately cruel, she should face criminal charges, too.

If you're talking about the irresponsible owner, I agree.

The owner actually followed airline procedure. It was the airline employee who effed up and caused the death of an innocent animal and is now apparently lying about the extent of her involvement.....shameful.

Where is your evidence that the the airline employee is "lying?" You're hearing one extremely biased account. An no, the owner wasn't following airline procedure, if the carrier was blocking the aisle.

If the carrier was blocking the aisle then it either needed to go under the seat as required OR the owner should have been asked to disembark. Putting the dog into an airless compartment was not the proper solution. I'm guessing that the owner wasn't happy about it but had no idea that her dog's life was in danger being stowed up there. The flight attendant on the other hand absolutely should have been aware that stowing a pet up there was not a safe thing to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a terrible story and I feel for those who saw a dead puppy as they deplaned, owners included. I say this as someone who doesn't like dogs.

However, I can't help but think the current of culture of "I'll take my pet everywhere with me and invoke the law to sue you if you challenge me, be damned!" contributed to the flight attendant's thought process that resulted the dog's placement in the overhead bin. I imagine that air stewards are fed up with passengers who think the rules apply to everyone except them. I work in an industry that utilizes similar protocols as aviation (healthcare), and I can attest that visitors and patients toe the line between acceptable and non-acceptable use of animals in healthcare environments.

Pretty much anyone can claim their pet is a "support animal" nowadays, and depending on where and how they do it, they can get away with it without having to produce documentation or proof beyond the stupid vest they bought on Amazon or bogus certificate they procured on the internet.

The flight attendant made an error in judgment by asking the family to place the dog in the overhead compartment and is going to have to live with the professional and personal repercussions, even if they are needlessly severe and invasive. I'm interested in learning more about the circumstances led to that even happening.

Her incompetence and actions led directly to the death of an innocent animal. She has totally earned any professional repercussions that she gets. if she is found to have been deliberately cruel, she should face criminal charges, too.

If you're talking about the irresponsible owner, I agree.

The owner actually followed airline procedure. It was the airline employee who effed up and caused the death of an innocent animal and is now apparently lying about the extent of her involvement.....shameful.

Where is your evidence that the the airline employee is "lying?" You're hearing one extremely biased account. An no, the owner wasn't following airline procedure, if the carrier was blocking the aisle.

If the carrier was blocking the aisle then it either needed to go under the seat as required OR the owner should have been asked to disembark. Putting the dog into an airless compartment was not the proper solution. I'm guessing that the owner wasn't happy about it but had no idea that her dog's life was in danger being stowed up there. The flight attendant on the other hand absolutely should have been aware that stowing a pet up there was not a safe thing to do.

Why does a flight attendant have more responsibility and insight than the dog's owner? The owner should have gotten off the plane instead of agreeing to the move. Your animal, your choice, your responsibility.