Serious question: how could an airline lose an emotional support dog?
Isn’t the very point of an emotional support animal to provide emotional support to the owner, therefore the animal is always with the owner?
But LATAM is making headlines this week for losing an “emotional support dog” onboard a longhaul flight from New York JFK. The dog was supposed to travel in the cargo hold, but was never loaded due to a “ramp” issue.
12 hour later in Paraguay when the family began asking questions, LATAM revealed the dog never left New York City. And then the story takes a twist:
Their son went back to JFK and was informed that an employee had taken the dog home. There, the dog had escaped and was on the loose.
I’m still scratching my head about that one…
When asked why, a LATAM spokesman told Newsweek:
LATAM deeply regrets the situation and will continue to provide all the recourses at its disposal in the effort to reunite Logan with his family.
The pooch has not been found, but LATAM has posted 600 posters on city streets around the JFK area. The ramp worker who took the dog home also lives in Queens. “Real” emotional support animals travel in-cabin on LATAM.
CONCLUSION
What an odd story. Perhaps the dog was taken home because there was no place to store him in the airport? In any case, I hope the dog is quickly found, whether he is an official emotional support pet or not.
It’s really poor reporting on the part of the media. Apparently, LATAM followed up with TPG, saying that the dog wasn’t an ESA. That’s not surprising, since ESAs travel in cabin (as you mentioned), and this dog was pretty clearly checked in at the counter (at least based on the photos of him in a kennel)… Regardless, it’s beyond ridiculous that a worker took the dog home.
Matthew, I’ve got to say…
Out of all the stories I’ve read today – this one breaks my heart the most.
I’ve got a parent with a disability who NEEDS their emotional support dog AT ALL TIMES.
Had this happened to us, I don’t know what we would have done to remedy the situation.
I’m glad Tennen posted an update, and have to agree with the sentiment that bringing a dog home as an employee is beyond awful. That person needs to get fired from their job, right away! Makes me so mad.
/Nabil