Weeks after a similar incident, another dog defecated on the floor of the forward lavatory and first class cabin on a United Airlines flight, forcing a costly diversion. Isn’t it time to require dogs to be kept in cages if they must fly?
Dog Accident Forces Another United Airlines Diversion
As shared on reddit—with photo evidence—the incident occurred on a flight from Houston (IAH) to Seattle (SEA) on Saturday, April 6, 2024:
Dog had messy accident in the aisle right in first class. Plane diverted to DFW. Ground crew spent over 2 hours cleaning carpets with paper towels. Smell made me ill. Gate agents kept yelling at passengers and the cabin crew. The smell never quite went away. First class toilet declared unusable as the dog mess was apparently unresolved in there. Food went bad while on the ground so very few snacks left.
So let’s recount what happened:
- Dog has an accident in lavatory
- The accident continues after stepping out of the lavatory, with a splattering of loose stool on the floor of the first class cabin
- Overwhelmed by the bad smell, the flight diverts to Dallas-Forth Worth (DFW)
- At DFW, cleaners spent two hours trying to clean the smell but failed
- The flight took off again for SEA but the first class lavatory was closed
- Due to the ground delay in DFW, the first class meals spoiled
Look, I feel bad for the dog…I’m sure it was feeling rather miserable to have such an accident. But incidents like this offer a poignant reminder of why it is time to reconsider dogs in cabins… particularly those who are not service animals.
The trouble, of course, is that this may well have been a service animal…all you need to do is “attest” your dog is a service dog and it can fly with you at no fee and not be constrained to a pet carrier.
There really is no easy solution, but somehow the rest of the world manages to travel without their pets, unlike the United States.
For the sake of the common good, isn’t it is time to further restrict dogs on planes? Regulators should grant airlines broad discretion to decide whether to transport dogs…or not…and the paperwork required in order to do so.
Um. One photo probably would have been enough. As a dog owner I can understand this mess is difficult to clean and deodorize. People getting away this without footing the entire cost to the airline and passengers offended must end.
Lol… I had the same thought– was the zoomed in third shot provided for those of us out here who weren’t quite sure after the first two images?
The dog’s owner should be put in a shit-filled cage and forever fly in the cargo hold, too.
It’s complete idiocy that non-humans are allowed to fly in the cabin. Certified service dogs…MAYBE but there needs to be strict rules and equally strict enforcement. You and your emotional support iguana can fly in the cargo hold together, or take the aptly-named “dog bus.” No exceptions.
We are a nation of morons.
my full fare J, O, Y idea looks better every day
Would be very very few dogs flying if one was required to buy a seat at full fare for them
Mine looks like that too after I eat the food they serve.
The dog owner should be liable for the damages. At the very least, if not compensated, the owner should be banned from United Airlines for up to 7 years. This is also why I am opposed to an industry no fly list controlled by flight attendants. The owner should not be put on a national no fly list.
At the very least, the owner should be liable for clean up costs, which should be pegged at a few hundred dollars.
If you accidentally run over someone, you still are liable even if you didn’t do it on purpose. If you did it on purpose, it would/should be prison time for a criminal act.
A few hundred dollars?! I think not. The owner should be responsible for the FULL cost of not only having to divert the aircraft, the delay and the food, but passengers having to continue on the flight w/the reeking odor. Expensive? Most certainly.
THAT will make them think twice about bringing Flying Fido again.
This shit ( pun intended) will keep on happening since 95% of these are fakes, phonies and frauds.
Real service dogs have both food and water withheld many hours before travel. Evidence suggests this did not happen.
“I feel bad for the dog.” Me too. For the dog to be forced to enter a closed metal tube for hours by its stupid owner. The owner should be the one cleaning that mess.
Santastico, dogs are everywhere now, at least in SoCal. Hardware stores, grocery stores, department stores – more and more dog owners seem to elect those places to walk their dogs. And of course, the seniors with their little Muffies who have never had any training but are treated as children. Planes are not the only places for these problems…
I see what you are saying but in any of the places you mentioned, if something goes wrong you have an easier solution. A dog goes crazy inside a store, you can get that dog out. On a plane at 30k ft???? Dogs pooping is one thing but what would they do if suddenly the dog goes wild and attacks someone inside a plane? Most places here are very clear that unless it is a service animal you cannot bring it inside any store.
why couldn’t the owner simply clean it up?
and considering the state of the dog’s intestines, even locked in the underseat bag the dog poop would have occured regardless of free or caged and permeated almost front to back.
Can you imagine the smell in that cabin when it happened? It makes me laugh.
It also happens in the terminals and they just walk on with their dog..Ignoring the mess that then get tracked with roller bags all over the place..The other thing that is interesting is having the dogs sit on the couch in the SC’s and feeling them from the buffet.
1st – I feel sorry for the dog. 2nd – We have no idea if this was a true service dog or not. 3rd – It cost the airline money to divert but, they make tons of money on transportation of pets, so I don’t fee bad for them at all. 4th – I feel bad for all the passengers who missed their connections or appointments, etc. 5th – One would think, with all the cats and dogs flying, that each airplane would carry solvents and other equipment to clean up messes like this. 6th – Even humans have these types of accidents on planes, especially if they are undergoing medical treatments that cause a person to not to be able to control their bodily functions well.
If you want to bring your dog you have to assume there might be a mess!
People just don’t care anymore. Nothing is there fault and if you try to hold them accountable they will say you are violating their rights.
When we were in Vienna recently I point out to my wife how well behaved the dogs we saw were. There were walking with their owners, not pulling ahead on the lease, they weren’t barking at everyone/everything they saw, etc. They seemed to be properly trained unlike the average dog in the US where people seem to think they are people and not a dog.
The number of dogs on planes is out of control. I’m sorry but especially large dogs have no business being on a plane.
Why that nonsense of flying with dogs there in the US?
“…but somehow the rest of the world manages to travel without their pets, unlike the United States.”
The “rest of the world” isn’t populated by self-absorbed, entitled, snowflakes.
Guarenteed that dog was medicated for the flight which is against FAA regulations. Was this a service dog? Not an emotional support animal, but a SERVICE DOG?
If the airlines ask for proof – it’s called discrimination. Ludicrous !
FAA should pass a rule – you prove the dog is a service dog (Guide Dog for blind, diabetes dog etc.) with certified doctor’s note, license, etc.
All other dogs not allowed. Anyone that brings a genuine service dog onboard signs something that they take 100% responsibility and has pet insurance that covers accidents etc.
This would DRASTICALLY reduce numbers of fake service dogs on Board.
Other foreign carriers – how do they deal with this ? Why in the USA different rules ?
See what happens on a Gulf carrier !
Not a dog owner here, but I am curious, can dogs not wear diapers for that long on a plane or something?
In all fairness, dog poop looks for appetizing than the slop served on United
Once again Mr. Klint,
You have my sincere appreciation for continuing to write about the numerous issues with dogs on planes. I am hoping that regulators will take note. And thank you for doing this with civility and clear prose.
100% agreed. I travel internationally every month and I have never seen an uncaged dog in the cabin on any non-US airline and never seen an uncaged dog in an airport lounge led by anyone else than an American (and I love both Americans and the US) 🙂
Surely, the owner must be responsible for their so called service dogs, and thus liable for the entire cost of the diversion, cleaning, etc.
Except for professionally trained service dogs for physically challenged individuals (e.g. blind), it goes without saying that dogs should not be allowed to roam freely in a confined cabin. Just imagine what would happen in case of an actual emergency. All other countries understand this.
Lukas,
I say this as a proud American: thank you for noting the uniquely-American nature of this issue! And thank you also for pointing out the potential problems with dogs during emergency situations.