Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Dog in care of Delta airlines found dead in Atlanta
The dog lost by Delta Airlines over the holiday weekend was found dead on the side of the road Saturday, CBS Atlanta reports.Our friends at AOL Travel originally reported on the story of an Army family's dog, a German Shepherd mix named Nala, that had gone missing after escaping from her crate at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The dog and her travel companion, the family's Beagle, were changing planes en route to Frankfurt, Germany. The other dog has arrived safely.
Nala escaped from her crate and was last seen on Christmas Eve. The airline had been offering a $1,000 reward for the return of the dog and now says it plans to donate that money to a local animal rescue organization.
This story is quite sad, as anyone who has ever lost a family pet will certainly agree. But what is even more strange is how a dog that large could escape without being tracked down immediately. There must be some sort of consequences for the employee in charge of these pets as there is a clear lack of effective security measures that contributed to the escape. While we certainly applaud Delta's reward efforts, $1,000 is a small consolation for the loss of a beloved pet.
Filed under: North America
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rita Jan 3rd 2011 3:20PM
Yes, and donating the $1000 rather than giving it to the owners (to purchase another dog) is kind of cold, too.
Kim Jan 3rd 2011 4:10PM
Ugh. After an extremely souring and unprofessional experience with Delta last summer, this story confirms my decision to never fly with them again. How awful for the family.
finzsolow Jan 3rd 2011 9:25PM
Delta is the worst *badword* airline i have EVER had the mispleasure to deal with. The customer service is the worst on the planet, they have damaged every bag i ever sent with them and CHARGED ME FOR IT!! and i mean totaly damaged it beyond use, and blamed it on me for over packing. i hope this company goes bankrupt and falls so deep in a hole with the hopes of every past or potential customer sueing them for every hangnail they ever had. i never want to hear the word Delta in referance to an airline again. Now they are not only killing your bags, they are killing your animals....watch out for your kids!!! those thevin bastards....i could rant and rave forever on how much i hate this airline....
Japan Rail Pass Jan 3rd 2011 9:26PM
With heighten security it stumps me as to how a dog can be lost at an airport. Perhaps they are to busy viewing people on the airports new body scan machines.
Kat Jan 3rd 2011 9:26PM
It is truly awful this family lost their pet. Though it may not actually be the fault of the air carrier. I work in the airline industry for a different carrier, and we have pets "escape" their kennels every so often. Some chew their way through the plastic, while other kennels have faulty or weak door latches.
Plus, animals can be incredibly fast and hard to catch. If the employee opened the cargo hold door, and there was a German Shepherd out of its kennel barking and/or growling, it would be reasonable to assume that the dog had the element of surprise on its side. One quick jump, and it's gone... Then, just like when a dog gets loose in a neighborhood, it might burrow under fences, tromp through creeks and ditches - anything to go explore.
If this happened in my airport with my carrier, we would do everything we could to findmthe animal and to investigate how the animal got loose. If it was employee negligence, then it would be handled with discipline.
Steve Eberhard Jan 21st 2011 12:10PM
I was sitting next to the window on flight 1803 yesterday (Thurs. 1/20) waiting for push back in Atlanta going to Las Vegas... this Delta ground employee zooms up with a tractor pulling a little flatbed with a medium sized pet carrier on it. He slams on the brakes, causing the carrier with a black and white spaniel to go FLYING off the trailer, rolling twice and landing upside down.
Our concerned ramp racer casually puts the parking brake on, saunters back to the crate, flips it right side up and half tosses it onto the trailer, in full view of everyone in a loaded 767... I'd be more than concerned if I was considering shipping my dog on Delta!
I've a picture of this fine fellow if anyone is interested!
Carmen Feb 3rd 2011 7:12PM
I wish we had read this stories before we trusted are dog to this airline. On January 24 our English Bulldog was found dead on a flight from Stuttgart to Atlanta. We were returning from a 3 year tour in Germany. My family is devastated and we miss him so much!