Scumbags at ATS fire woman who saved a poor dog's life!

reply to post by TXTriker


Animal control returned it to the owner, so they must not have thought he was a danger to the dog. It would be nice to see what she saw. Someone who posted above is correct, it is odd that we all (including me) take such strong stands on the issue with such little information. It's the nature internet debate I guess.

I think I found the animal control that would have responded. I've sent them an e-mail to see if they will confirm or deny the condition of the animal. The e-mail they list has a statement that it is not monitored daily so it may take some time for an answer. The following is the body of my e-mail:

A group of us were discussing this story and were wondering if you could provide any corroborating information about the condition of the dog. We are not requesting any information that might identify the owner or anyone else.

We would just like to know if the animal was in poor condition as stated in the news article. Here is a link to the news article.

news.yahoo.com...

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration of our question.


Here is the link to the animal control site: www.co.washoe.nv.us...

I have to agree that it is not her responsibility to make a judgment on weather to load the dog or not. Once that precedent gets set then they open themselves up to making future determinations on these matters. They are not trained to do that and she didnt know the circumstances or why the animal was being put on the plane.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Personally I would not fly my dog.

They are put with the baggage and the carrier portion is not a good health environment. If the dog was thin and or sick, they might have and probably would have ended up dead.

A certain portion of "animals" do not make it in the cargo hold area.

The woman stuck her neck out.............read my signature.

She at least had a gut feeling this dog would not have made the trip.

The article said she thought the dog "too thin".................that alone speaks volumes.

We have a pilot in the family and he has said he would never fly his dog in cargo, ever.

Again - all airlines that fly animals in the cargo section lose a certain percentage of even healthy ones.

Now with that being said, there are a lot of really good kind airline people...........when my son's Mastiff was flown from Oklahoma to Illinois my son got to O'Hare and found a couple airline employees walking this 100 pound puppy because he had to go potty...........they also made sure he had water.

The lady wasn't being nosy as much as concerned and for that I commend her.

If more people cared about those who have no voice, (babies, children, animals & elderly) maybe the world would be a little nicer place to live in.

At least she cared.................again, she has three dogs of her own (look at the picture of her) and she probably could tell the dog would not have made the journey.

If the dog needed medical treatment per a long enough distance to fly, there are pilots that are reasonable (contact pilots for paws and they can put you in contact with someone).

There are good alternatives: There is PetMovers and here is an article

These days, more and more family vacations include the family pet, even when it means catching a long-haul flight.

While most of the major U.S. air carriers are working to accommodate Fluffy and Fido as they experience the joys and pains of air travel, there are wide-ranging discrepancies between the policies, the creature comforts, and most importantly the safety records of the big U.S. airlines.

The vast majority of jet-setting dogs touch down safely at their destinations, but a significant number have been injured, lost, or killed in transit. According to the Department of Transportation, 224 dogs met one of the aforementioned fates between 2005 and 2009.

According to ABC News, U.S. airlines have been required to report pet-related problems only since 2005, and they don't necessarily keep detailed records of all of the pets that they transport successfully. But even though the records are by no means perfect, the data does give pet owners reason to to take a hard look at airline pet safety before booking a flight.

From the DOT records available, ABC News says that the airline with the most incidents was Continental, with 58 deaths, injuries, or lost dogs since 2005. (An airline spokesperson told ABC News that during those past five years, Continental has transported over 550,000 animals.) Delta came in second with 48 incidents, then Alaska Airlines with 36, American Airlines with 33, and United with 17. The size of the airline doesn't correspond to the number of pet-related accidents. Delta is the world's largest airline, carrying 65.2 million domestic passengers each year, over twice the number carried by Continental. However, Delta has come under scrutiny in recent months for pet related mishaps.

To better take care of the animals flying with them, some carriers place prohibitions on what dogs they accept and when. Many airlines won't take dogs in the hottest or coldest months, when cargo hold conditions can reach extreme temperatures. Continental's pet-safety record has improved since they've instituted a ban on breeds that naturally have breathing difficulties, like bulldogs, pugs, and Staffordshire terriers.

If you're planning to take your pet along on a plane trip, shop around to find out the different policies of different airlines, and find the one that will suit you best. Read this article on Paw Nation about flying with your pet to help you make more informed decisions. One option for the concerned traveler is the animal only carrier Pet Airways, where all pets travel with the humans and not in the hold.
Source: www.pawnation.com...

It's nice to see someone not "following orders" and using their gut instinct and doing what they feel is morally right.

Again, now with the TSA Scanners and gropers, Lucy and I will travel by car. After hearing my nephew in law talk about animal transport - no thank you.

Tell you what - you experiment and you take a 6 hour ride in a cargo hold with the animals and baggage and report back to us..........maybe install a camera the pilot or some airline employee can watch.



Picture is of my dog, Lucy who unless she gets to sit right next to me and we are not scanned and gropped ain't flyin.............She's even got a doggy seat belt for car trips.

WOW!

How horrible!

She was helping the dog and gets fired?! Wth is wrong with this world, I mean seriously!

The owner should be arrested for animal neglect and this lady should have her job back! She was doing what ANYONE with a heart would do! I would have done the same thing if I were her.

reply to post by ofhumandescent


Gorgeous Dog!!

I wouldn't fly my pet either. I rarely fly myself commercial. I hate it.

I also commend her for her compassion, but I think it is misplaced. I do not commend her for refusing to follow orders.

I think she is probably a great person, and I hope she finds lots of success in a career that fits her better. I just don't want her handling my personal belongings.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by Domo1

 

If she saw this dog tied out by a tree, or cowering in the back of a truck, maybe her assessment would have more validity, but people don't spend hundreds of dollars to ship a dog that they are also starving to death, LOL!

I'll bite...

You can't actually say that with certainty. We all know there are all sorts of people in this world, who do strange things, and commit senseless acts of stupidity. Do you really need a few examples?

Other than that, I think you're pretty much spot on.

reply to post by Tuned Agent




I thought of that when I re-read it. Half a dozen sick scenarios passed through my head, but I think we can agree those are the extremely rare exceptions, and they probably didn't figure in to her thought process.

But you're right, one can never be certain.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by Tuned Agent

 

I thought of that when I re-read it. Half a dozen sick scenarios passed through my head, but I think we can agree those are the extremely rare exceptions, and they probably didn't figure in to her thought process.

But you're right, one can never be certain.

Bad as I hate to admit it, a lot of hunters in Texas don't really think of their animals as anything but a tool. It would not surprise me to find out this particular owner has several hunting dogs and more than one in bad shape. I know that's speculation but I've seen enough that it wouldn't surprise me. I wonder if the NV shelter sent any info to the Corpus animal control on the case?

If the shelter answers my e-mail I'll ask them that question too.

reply to post by FortAnthem


Sorry but I work in the airfreight industry and the most responsible decision that person could have made was to find out where the dog was going and notify the animal services there. Chucking a tantrum and refusing to load cargo deservedly ends in job loss.

It's not about big business, it's just about doing your job in a time critical manner, especially in that industry.

Nothing wrong with having a heart. You just need the brains to know how to appropriately use it.

There have been some interesting responses to this topic but one I thought was obvious when I first read the article still hasn't been brought up.

The dog was covered in scabs/sores!

Disease control legislation would require the said luggage handler to report the dogs condition.

reply to post by TXTriker


My Lucy, see picture was six hours away from being the second dog loaded into a gas or decompression chamber and killed.

She was six and a "brood bitch" for some southern yahoo in Georgia that breeds hunting dogs.

Lucy walks four miles a day, scampers, jumps and frolicks in the yard (skips, jumps and twirls)...........and she almost ended up just another statistic.

PointersRescue dot org rescued her..............these folks are heros and they sometimes use Pilots for Paws.

Anyway, Lucy turned 7 on October 22, 2011 and I guess after this guy was done with her pumping out puppies for $$$$$$$ he simply turned her over to a high kill shelter.

Dogs can fly, but my vet and I have talked about it and dogs do not adjust to the change in altitude as well as we do plus the cargo/baggage section doesn't have the same air pressure as the human hold does.

Many of the hunting dogs I hear come from the south and I don't mean no disrespect, I'm a Missouri girl myself, but it seems many (not all) southern men simply don't have a heart for man's best friend.

We have a surplus of hunting dogs and need more homes.

Lucy does require a lot of exercise, but she is perfectly potty broke, doesn't get up on the furniture, doesn't bark, (I asked her not to 1 time and she remembered) and she is smart!!!!!

My favorite Twilight Episode is "The Hunt"..........www.123video.nl...

reply to post by OutKast Searcher

It's not her job to judge if a dog is being cared for properly

It could be argued though that it is the responsibility of a person, in general, to notice and address an animal in distress being shuffled through one's workstation, imo.
Fired? Yea I understand policy too, so I won't assign any wrongdoing, just that I am glad she refused to contribute to what she suspected was abuse or neglect of a four legged friend.

Peace,
spec

reply to post by ofhumandescent


I did not mean to imply that a majority of Texans don't think of their as animals as family. I believe most of them do. If not the men, their wives make sure.

We have a friend that is big into horses and trail rides. One of the mules that pulls the wagon on the trail ride developed what is called ring bone. It is a formation of bone around the "ankle". The man was considering putting the animal down because it could no longer pull the wagon. His wife told him he was not. She said: "The mule wasn't the only thing on the place that didn't put out and she hadn't put him down yet"

That's what I mean about the wives handle it. The mule, to my knowledge, is now happy in the pasture. Although, you can tell when the wagon pulls out that she is disappointed that she can't go.

reply to post by TXTriker


A star for your post and thank you for making my day................a woman with a heart as big as Texas.

Funny too, you have a good sense of humor. We need more of that around here.

BTW: Very cool avatar!

reply to post by ofhumandescent


Thank you for being the voice of reason..I applaud you friend.
Cheers Coco

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


I agree with you but these days it is hard to get involved due to lawsuits. If you make an issue and the dog dies they call in the lawyers and it becomes a headache.

reply to post by ofhumandescent


Thank you.

The avatar is actually pretty representative of me - gray hair, motorcycle and all.

The baggage handler did the right thing. I applaud her and I would have done the same. I recall attending a Police call late one night where a dog had been left with a long lead and got tangled. The neighbours heard it and stopped it from choking to death.

To cut to the chase - my partner and senior to me was more worried about the bloody vet bills etcetera - I said we are putting the dog in the back of the truck and I will call the ranger - he will come and assess. We did just that - the dog recovered and the owners were grateful that people responded when they were not at home. I swear the dog looked at me and held on because he knew I was going to help one way or the other.

The baggage handler deserves to choose whether she needs to work for a company who cares only about money. They should be grateful to have a conscientious employee. The owner of the dog - now where do I start? I don't need to know the details of the person or why the dog was flying. If the article is based on facts - thin dog and covered in sores with raw skin on the paws - that is neglect and possible illness and where I am from - a criminal offence.

All people are living sentient beings and so are animals.

Much Peace...

A lot of people are assuming that Animal Control took custody of the dog because of its condition. Maybe, they had no choice but to take custody of the dog because it had missed its flight because of this woman's actions. Its also possible that they may have a policy of not releasing animals until they are in fully good health.

I don't know if either of them is the case in this matter but, it is something worth considering.