AC has a doggone problem
No one knows why, but the timid German shepherd-Labrador retriever escaped from its cage while in transit with Air Canada at Montreal's Dorval Airport.
Now Indy has vanished, to the embarrassment of Air Canada and the great dismay of its owners, who feel the airline lost their dog.
"They lose luggage -- but a dog?" said Scott Ensor of Victoria. "I'm still in disbelief."
Mr. Ensor and his wife, Andrea, entrusted Indy and their other dog, Grizz, to Air Canada in Fredericton before the couple travelled to Victoria by car with their baby girl.
Both dogs safely made it to Montreal this week. Grizz successfully boarded a connecting flight. While handlers at the airport were transferring Indy, however, its cage door opened and the dog ran off.
No one knows the animal's whereabouts, but the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is on the case, says the dog is probably long gone from the airport grounds and is on the loose in Montreal's leafy West Island district.
Air Canada has posted Indy's photo throughout the airport, and a spokeswoman said the airline, which has faced criticism for declining customer care, "is not taking this lightly."
"We're very sorry and we're co-operating fully with the SPCA," Isabelle Arthur said.
"We're putting in every effort to find the dog."
Mr. Ensor, an Armed Forces combat engineer who moved to Victoria to become a navy diver, said five-year-old Indy couldn't have opened the cage door alone. He suspects a handler opened it while feeding or hosing down the pet.
"I don't think Air Canada handled this the way they should have," he said. "When you put a dog on a plane, you figure it's a live animal and it will be treated with some kind of respect.
"Well, I wouldn't put my dog on a plane, any plane, ever again," he said. "I discovered that animals are treated just like a piece of cargo -- they [the airline personnel] don't care whether it's live or a suitcase. For them, it's just another piece of luggage."
The Ensors paid Air Canada $892 to put both their dogs on the plane. The airline called the family Wednesday asking if they wanted to make a claim for their dog, but the Ensors refused, holding out hope that the animal will still be found.
Air Canada transported 27,600 animals last year -- including elephants, cows and gorillas, but mostly cats and dogs -- and very few got lost, Ms. Arthur said.
I love the part above that says "very few(pets) got lost"
[B]
Oh one last thing, Put your Pets name on the Kennel as they do respond very well when they are called by name.
/B]
So do passengers!!!!
Sorry, Yes Pax do.....but my job does not involve any interaction with human customers.
Regards
YYZAC
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif
Why is there only one competition bureau.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif
In SH's world there is one competition bureau at every level of government and then there is a watchdog to oversee them and the watchdog bypasses parliament to report only to the Prime Minister who can make an executive decision without any consultation of the general public.
Of course lobbying is illegal in this scheme unless you are on EI or collecting welfare. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif
As it turned out he was a great passenger on the road, but hates, with a passion, that carrier stuff, so it turned out well.
This decision undertaken in light of a previous, traumatic (1984) experience with the previous feline flying from Victoria to Calgary.
Don't know Whether I'd drive all the way across the continent to save a pet the stress of a plane ride, though.
My advice is to spend a couple of extra bucks on a good kennel and store it some place Fido cannot get his teeth at it. Make sure that the Kennel fits the Dog, and Read the instructions when assembling a new kennel!
Please do ask to make sure that your pet is on board, we will oblige without hesitation.
Oh one last thing, Put your Pets name on the Kennel as they do respond very well when they are called by name.
Hope this helps.
Regards YYZAC
Come September I will be driving to Nova Scotia for a new dog. A 3 or 4 day drive beats this nonsense.
Latches do fail on kennels, especially the cheap plastic ones. That happened to me once (not while flying). Now, I always tie the kennel door shut or use a metal clip to make sure it stays closed. Perhaps that is what happened here.
I have recently had one of my two Golden Retrievers die unexpectedly because of a twisted stomach and was devasted (I have no children...other than my Golden Retrievers). I was heart broken and cancelled all my flights and meetings for about 2 weeks and it took me about 2 months before I talk about Meisha without crying....if an airline had lost one of my girls, I would be very upset to say the least.
I have never taken any of my girls travelling with me as I have heard horror stories and what happened last week did not reassure me.
Only if my girls were a service Golden, they could ride in the cabin. I did a get a new puppy to replace Meisha and to keep Sasha company plus I'm thinking of having her become an avalanche canine so that I can help in circumstances where one would be required, and being a service animal, that she could ride in the cabin.
Next year will be the first time both of them will be flying and I'm dreading the day....
Everybody realizes that things will go wrong--the frequency separates the good from the bad. How you handle them when they do go wrong separates the good from the great.
I use a Vet that will come and pick up the
animal and board and feed them till the owners arrive and we do this at the airlines expense.
The vet has passed the dog as OK, and AC is investigating what happened at their YUL facilities. No word on compensation yet, the dog's owners in Victoria are reportedly much relieved.
I know the owner was upset, but I found his guesses at what happened somewhat contradictory (of course it would be too much for the reporter to tone down the rhetoric).
Mr. Ensor ... said five-year-old Indy couldn't have opened the cage door alone. He suspects a handler opened it while feeding or hosing down the pet.
...
"Well, I wouldn't put my dog on a plane, any plane, ever again," he said. "I discovered that animals are treated just like a piece of cargo -- they [the airline personnel] don't care whether it's live or a suitcase. For them, it's just another piece of luggage."
So he thinks they were feeding or watering the dog, then accuses them of treating it like "another piece of luggage"!?
andrew
I would like to think this accident happened because someone was trying to make the dog more comfortable and lost control of him, rather than due to some kind of rough handling of the kennel. Some owners actually put labels on the kennel reading "Please pet me, I'm friendly and a nervous flyer" or attach water and treats to be given to the animal en route. Unwise, perhaps, but not negiligent or cruel, as I think this story is trying to paint the YUL situation.
As hollow as it may sound coming from my unobjective corner, I would ship my family dog to YYJ tomorrow if I had to, with no hesitation. Being on the ramp at midday at YYZ in August is going to be uncomfortable, even for 5 minutes, and a trip in the cargo hold of an aircraft is no real picnic, but it's relatively quick and painless.
I'm an animal lover and the AC employees who work with live animals have bid those jobs because they care about their treatment. I feel terribly for the family involved, and I hope this story ultimately has a happy ending.
[This message has been edited by YYZC2 (edited 07-26-2002).]
It's bad enough dragging my cat Fluffy to the vet. I couldn't imagine travelling with him!
When I take my cats to the vet, I never drag them - placing them in crates and driving there seems so much easier http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif
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