GSD lost at airport, found dead - Page 2

crate doors (and halves) are secured by big zip-ties immediately after the crate is inspected prior to shipping.  So the only way this dog could have escaped is for her to be released from the crate - so my question would be - who opened the dogs' crate and why?  And, why was this not done in a secure location in case the dog got loose?  And, why was the crate opened?  Perhaps because the dog's flight was cancelled or it missed a connection and it needed to be kenneled for the night?  if so, why did the staff not make sure the crate was in a secure room (doors closed) before opening the crate?  somehow the dog not only got out of the crate and loose, but it also got outside the building, and also outside the airport property which is normally fairly securely fenced.  Something is fishy - and I'd definately be all over Delta trying to make them own up to their multiple mistakes and negligence in this matter.  makes me angry just thinking about it.

I have used Delta many times for shipping puppies, and would continue doing this, though of course my puppies are not being shipped overseas, and I am very careful to choose flights with enough time between connection (only one connection) to allow for delayed flights.  I watch them inspect the crate and I watch them ziptie the door closed.  I do not expect my dog to be released from that crate until the owner receives it on the other end, period.

molly

@beardog - "Why not file a complaint with SPCA. If it's that damn bad that their neglectful attitudes have caused the death of an animal, it needs to be investigated."

The argument would be that Delta didn't directly cause the death of the animal.  The dog was hit by a car on I-75 near the airport.  Some people in this area see it as "sport" to make an effort to strike animals on the side of the road. 

Very sad.
I have shipped many dogs with Delta over the last 25 yrs., no problem. But if you ship enough animals enough places, I guess sooner or later somethng bad is bound to happen, just by virtue of percentages.
I feel awful for the owner and the poor dog.

I feel sorry for dog and for owner. I ship many dogs and am glad to say I never had problem yet.But it is risky. Plastic crates are not very good for many reasons. One is that if the temperature is cold enough, or the crate has been in sunlight a lot, plastic changes and becomes brittle. Dropping it or bumping it can crack it. Doors can come open and some dogs are good at opening these doors. I always put in extra bars to prevent door from accidentally opening. Soemtimes yes something in schedule goes wrong and dog must be given water or food, or taken out for cleaning crate. If people are not careful, dog can escape but it does not happen very often. It is sad when it does happen expecially if it is your dog.

On TV news on 1/4 Tues, Delta "lost" another animal, a beautiful cat.  Delta will not even let the owner see the cat's crate.  I think Delta is offering a tiny reward for the return of the cat.

Big joke for Delta.  So very sad for owner.  She had rescued the cat as a small kitten and had her for a long time, as I understand.  Owner was in Egypt for some time and was returning home to the States.

IMO, some safety factor was ignored at some point in transport.  There should be no excuses for the escape of the dog.  They're (Delta) evidently lying about the incident, because of the crack in the crate.  I surely hope the owner either has the crate or at least had taken some pictures of it.  Delta should be held responsible and more importantly, they should step up to the plate, admit their blame, apologize and offer monetary compensation.  That would go a lot farther than trying to cover up what really happened.