Dearborn Native Claims Dog Died After 20-Hour Layover in Chicago

A devastated Oregon woman took to Facebook to warn other pet owners after her beloved 7-year-old dog died after flying United Airlines from Detroit to Portland last week.

Dearborn, Michigan, native Kathleen Considine said Jacob, her 80-pound golden retriever, died after arriving in Oregon disoriented and unresponsive. She said she wanted to warn other dog owners about the dangers of air travel for pets.

"Jacob was supposed to fly from Detroit to Portland with a 1 hour layover in Chicago," Considine wrote. The pooch would need a "giant crate," she said, "and there was question as to whether or not it would fit on the plane." Considine said a United agent in Detroit assured her the dog's crate would fit on both flights.

But when the flight landed in Chicago, it was discovered that his crate did not fit on the plane to Portland — so Jacob was sent to a kennel, where he stayed for 20 hours until the next available flight that could accommodate him, Considine claims.

"The airline DID NOT ALLOW my mother to send food with Jacob, due to the intended short duration of his journey, even though it is mandated that the crates have a food bowl and their website states they may have a zip lock bag less than 1 pound of food attached to the top of their crate," she wrote, adding a United agent told her that the airline may also have given the dog some type of medication.

"My very best friend who I was expecting to trample me with kisses barely even acknowledged my existence" when he arrived in Portland, Considine wrote. It was clear that something was wrong with Jacob, who was "disoriented and nonresponsive."

After another three-hour journey to Central Oregon, Considine said it was apparent that Jacob's condition had worsened. After the dog began having difficulty breathing, he was rushed to an emergency vet, where he was pronounced dead after eight minutes of CPR, she said.

"His stomach flipped due to the stress of his journey that was 20 hours longer than expected, and suffocated his organs," Considine said, adding that United Airlines is "assuming zero responsibility" for her beloved pet's death.

"Bloat," or gastric dilation and volvulus syndrome (GDV), is a potentially fatal disease that causes a dog's stomach to dilate, then rotate, or twist. The exact cause of GDV isn't known, according to PetMD, but large or deep-chested dog breeds may be more susceptible to the illness.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, United Airlines said it was saddened to learn of Jacob's passing "after we returned him to the care of his owner," adding, "Our PetSafe team is committed to the safety and comfort of all the pets that travel with us. We worked to ensure Jacob's comfort throughout his entire journey and he showed no signs of distress nor behave in a way that would suggest he was unwell while in our care."

The airline also said it has been in touch with Considine.

Considine called United's PetSafe program cruel, adding, "They treat animals like baggage" and "I would have received the same responses if they were to have broken my guitar in baggage."

Written by Shannon Antinori (Patch Staff)

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