From the airline that prides itself in looking the other direction at onboard smoking comes a tone-deaf response to a dead pet. China Eastern has offered to pay the owner of a dog killed in transport compensation based upon the dog’s weight…as if the canine was just another piece of baggage.
Doudou was a three-year-old golden retriever. China Eastern was transporting him from Guangzhou to Wuhan at a cost of 1,900 yuan (~$280). Doudou attempted to escape, tearing his flesh as he tried to wiggle out of a barbed wire cage. Airline baggage handlers found him dead.
China Eastern offered compensation: at a rate of 100 yuan per kilogram (~$6.67/lb), which worked out at 3,500 yuan (~$515) for his 35kg dog. Apparently a Chihuahua would have been worth only $15-20…
The owner, named Zuo, was understandably distraught:
This is emotionally unacceptable to me, as my dog was like my child.
My question, however: are dogs transported in barbed wire on China Eastern? If so, why?
But Wait! There’s More
This isn’t the only story. China Eastern is also making headlines for shooting an escaped dog 50 times instead of capturing him. This involved another golden retriever at Wuhan Airport. Apparently, the dog broke loose and ran into a parking lot. Thinking swiftly, the staff decided it was time for target practice.
CONCLUSION
If you’re transporting a pet within China, I’d recommend you look into other options besides China Eastern. With gaping holes in engines, you might be better off just avoiding the carrier altogether.
Before you guys commenting, different culture, different standard, different treatment. Whereby dog can be a special creature to be loved, hugged, etc. in US, in China they are food, tough some are lucky to be pet.
On the other hand, it took 50 shots to down a dog. Shooting with a bb gun? Stray bullets near aircraft is more terrifying than a dog being shot….
Is it safe to assume that if someone is paying $278 to transport it, the dog is a pet and not just livestock?
Apparently, as you wrote yourself, the dog was considered luggage….
They considered it luggage, but the owner certainly did not. My point is, no one would pay almost $300 to transport dog meat…
The title feels very much CNN … can just say China Eastern
Sadly, the majority of China is still a 3rd world backwater that celebrate at dog eating festivals, raid foreign seafood buffets and openly defecate wherever they please including aircraft, temples and the middle of public roads. What does everyone expect?
No, the majority of us NEVER openly defecate and regard this incident as totally unacceptable and disgusting. Consuming dog meat is frowned upon almost throughout the whole country. You can not generalise about the majority of us from some rude behaviour.
I’m an ethnic Chinese (thank god I’m not a Chinese national) working and living in China. I can assure you that the MAJORITY certainly does all those things listed above. It is the MINORITY that doesn’t.
China eastern just about killed my dog from heat stroke on a 2.5hour flight that miraculouslu took 4 additional hours to get him off the plane and transported to pick up location in Shanghai. They have arbitrary regulations like triple locking crates with steal and wire mesh. How any dog escaped is beyond my comprehension. They did warn me several times that if he escaped they would shoot him. I went with a shipping company to manage the affair. When finally off the plane my 35kg “American PB was left sitting in the sun for hours locked in a crate. When I finally got him he was severely dehydrated and almost pa ting to death. The stack of animals was about 29 high and they were treated far worse than anything I have witnessed in any airline industry. The Chinese do not hold a high regard for animals (dogs and cats). They simply do not give a flying dog biscuit what happens or what you have to say about it. Even with massive scolding no effort to change or save face was made for me. Simply said; if you don’t like it, tough.