A dog owner is grieving in Australia after her dog died on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Brisbane. But why was a high-risk dog entrusted to Qantas in the first place?
I’m not here to blame the passenger or attempt to fully understand the grief she must be going through today. I’m also not going to defend Qantas over the way it handled the incident.
But here’s what continues to puzzle me: why would anyone trust a precious, high-risk asset to an airline cargo hold? I know a quick plane ride is so much easier than a 10-hour car ride or 14-hour train ride from Sydney to Brisbane. But honestly, if it was my “son” and I could not take him into the cabin, that is exactly what I would do…it is a risk I simply would not take.
The Death Of Duke On Qantas
For Kay Newman, December 19th will be day of infamy for the rest of her life. She was flying from SYD-BNE with her 6-year-old boxer, Duke. It was 102ºF outside and she was already worried about transporting Duke. On Facebook, she shared:
“I was worried about the heat but was told by Qantas freight staff that Duke would only be kept on the tarmac for a few minutes and that he would be kept under cover until they were ready to put him on the plane. All animals are meant to be boarded last (last on first off).”
Qantas even allowed Newman to wait in an air-conditioned room until the final stages of boarding, when Duke was placed in a crate and taken out to the tarmac for loading. Newman soaked Duke in a towel and ice water before leaving him.
She walked up to the boarding gate and saw that Duke’s crate was already on the tarmac. She watched…and waited. But after 15 minutes Duke still had not been loaded. Qantas staff assured her that Duke was just fine and would be onboard shortly.
Boxers are prone to Brachycephalic Airway Obstruction Syndrome. It is for that reason such dogs are banned on U.S. airlines like American, Delta, and United. Qantas does not ban these types of dogs, but does require a waiver for flights over five hours. Sydney to Brisbane is just 90 minutes.
Upon reaching Brisbane, Newman received bad news:
“I was asked to come through to the back of the office, that’s not normal and I knew in my heart something was wrong, I started screaming, ‘What’s wrong, what’s happened?’ Then I heard the words I never wanted to hear, ‘We have some bad news, I’m sorry but your dog didn’t survive the flight and has passed away.'”
It was clear that Duke died from the heat. Qantas claimed Duke was just fine when he was loaded in Sydney. Newman blames his death on the delay in loading him in SYD.
Just Don’t Do It
There’s a tendency to overlook the fact that hundreds of animals are transported safely every day. If you’re playing the odds, the odds are certainly in your favor.
But the odds are quite different than saying don’t fly because your plane may crash. If you have a high-risk breed and want to transport it in conditions of extreme heat…I can only urge you to think twice. It’s not worthwhile.
And even if (though) the odds are still immensely in your favor, it doesn’t seem worthwhile to me.
CONCLUSION
I’m not sure it was the tarmac delay that doomed Duke. The death may have happened in either case. It’s a sad story to be sure and was indeed preventable. But perhaps preventable by not transporting the dog in the first place.
image: Qantas
Seriously people, leave the pet at home.
I just can’t handle the new trend of people humanizing their pets; pets don´t want to be traveling, nor at the mall, or Costco, etc. Pets are animals, and should be treated as such. Humans are using pets nowadays to relive their loneliness or some kind of emptiness they feel inside, so sad!
Terrible. Sadly there is a predisposition/ greater risk for brachycephalic breeds , as their breathing can be compromised very easily. I think the Boxer is in that group.
Ok, now I read the article, I can see you mention it. I should read them first and comment after.
I think everyone agrees that Ferraris, Astons, Bentleys, etc. are high-priced assets. Those are common to be transported in cargo hold. I would suggest paraphrasing to avoid mislead.
Hindsight is such a wonderful thing.. and in response to some of the other comments, who the hell leaves their pet, another member of their family at home over Christmas. Or anytime at all, in fact!? Are you kidding me? Pets, especially dogs (who are pack animals) absolutely hate being left on their own. Dukey had never spent a day in his life away from his family. That’s what he was to us, family. He went everywhere with us and he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Duke’s flight was booked months in advance without knowing what the temperature would be on the day of transport. It is known that flights will often be cancelled or rescheduled for pets if temperatures are declared to be too hot for pet travel on the day, by the airline.
As Duke’s flight was scheduled to go ahead, when asked by my mum, Qantas had promised that Duke would be kept out of the heat before being loaded and as a result, she was able to stay with him in the office until it was time for her to say goodbye and head to the boarding gate.
They promised he would be kept inside until the very last minute. They said he’d be last on, plus he would be first off the flight. They completely lied and worse.. Staff went on to ignore literal cries of help for Duke, when it became apparent to my mum that he was on the tarmac before baggage loading was completed, during and after their flight delay.
He remained out there, in a confined crate, in extreme heat for over an hour resulting in his death – yet they are blaming his “snub-nosed” breed and not the fact that nobody from Qantas cared or took his welfare seriously on such a hot day.
What Qantas, RSPCA and similar authorities are failing to recognise or acknowledge, is that this was a heinous act of animal cruelty committed by Qantas staff.
For the record, Duke lived in Perth and the flight to Sydney is 5 times longer than the flight from Sydney to Brisbane. Duke had flown this route with my mum, to and from, many times without issue. Driving from Perth to Sydney would take 5 days of non-stop driving through areas totally devastated by the bushfires, inevitably meeting road closures and further delays. He would have been in the confines of a car for weeks if mum had chosen to drive him and not fly.
My mum will never forgive herself and will forever blame herself for Duke’s death for the rest of her life. A little bit of compassion would make things just that little bit hurtful, especially when stumbling across articles and comments like this.. thanks