[ SHOWGSD-L ] on shipping dogs
- From: Peggy <pmick12@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Showgsd-l <Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2007 11:34:32 -0500
I have permission to crosspost this, and you may do the same. It was
written by Bo Bengtsen, the breeder/owner of Vivi, the Whippet bitch who
went missing a year ago in New York City...while being shipped..........
Please read it....you will think more than twice before shipping a dog
again.
Peggy
SHIPPING DOGS: “SECURITY CHECKS” PROVIDE “NEW” RISK?
The following recent experience exposed an obvious risk in shipping dogs
and other pets and could, I hope, be used as a catalyst for change and
new federal regulations in how animals are treated while in transit.
On Friday, Feb. 2, 2007, I went to LAX to ship a Whippet puppy to
Florida. It was the first time since Vivi’s disappearance almost exactly
a year ago that I shipped a dog, which only affects the following in so
far as I was pretty nervous about the experience and had spent a lot of
time preparing for it. We had several plastic “zip-ties” to secure the
crate and signs with the dog’s name, “DO NOT OPEN!” etc. The puppy,
Griffin, is a nearly six months old son of Vivi’s older half brother,
Chili.
I chose American Airlines because their web site impressed me as being
very sensible and dog-friendly with a lot of specific information.
Griffin was booked on non-stop flight AA262 departing at 9:25 PM and
arriving in Fort Lauderdale at 5:10 AM local time. He was shipped
Priority Parcel, which meant that we had to bring him to the AA baggage
area at LAX. The airline staff was very helpful and considerate; they
actually remembered the Vivi incident even though that involved another
airline and a different airport.
With the crate checked and approved, and all paperwork done, we secured
the gate with the zip-ties. Griffin was totally unconcerned and only
focused on playing with his chew toy. Having paid the shipping charge we
saw the crate being loaded on a cart and wheeled out; we were ready to
leave the building when by pure chance and because the cargo employee
with the cart returned to the front desk we overheard him saying that
“Security wants to open the crate again.”
Obviously airport security staff works independenly from the airlines,
and obviously they have the right to inspect any piece of luggage as
they feel is necessary at any time. Reasoning with an unsmiling security
officer exercising her authority was useless. The upshot was that the
zip-ties had to be cut, the gate opened and Griffin taken out of the
crate while the officer inspected the crate. Since I could hold the
puppy in my arms, all went well – in spite of the fact that the
inspection took place in an open building, with hundreds of passengers
milling about, less than six feet from an open door with very heavy
traffic outside. Any dog who ran out that door would unquestionably be
killed by traffic in a matter of minutes.
I still get weak at the knees thinking about what could have happened if
we had not been present. Certainly none of the security staff had any
dog experience whatsoever; Griffin would have wriggled in their arms and
tried to lick their faces; if they had dropped him they would not have
had any idea how to catch him again. (Everyone who knows him is aware
that he’d come to anyone who showed him a treat!)
It is appalling that living animals are not treated differently than
other cargo in this respect. Quite obviously, from every point of view,
it would make sense that security should check crates BEFORE they are
closed by the airline staff at check-in, and that no crate containing a
live animal should ever be opened unless it is inside a closed room and
the owner (or at the very least an experienced animal handler) is
present. Once the crate has been inspected, a sticker or plastic seal
should be placed on the gate indicating that it cannot be opened again
while in transit.
With the above in mind, it’s actually surprising that not more pets are
lost at airports. Many dogs are nervous while being shipped and would
bolt at the first opportunity to get out of the crate. A scared dog
might bite a security officer, who then most likely would let the dog go.
There has been much discussion about whether it’s safer to leave a
collar on a dog being shipped or not. While I agree that there is a
small risk that the collar could get stuck in something during the
flight, I now feel that it’s probably safer to leave it on, since this
would at least increase the dog’s risks of not getting loose if it’s
taken out of its crate after check-in.
We will never know whether it was a last-minute security inspection of
Vivi’s crate what forced her to get out of her crate and eventually get
lost. It is certain, however, that a new federal regulation needs to be
introduced to prevent similar occurrences from happening again.
Griffin got to Florida safe and sound, not in the least upset by his
experience. However, I urge anyone with contacts in the right places to
help us push for a change in the federal regulations for how live
animals in transit are treated by airport staff.
Thanks for your patience!
Bo Bengtson
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