One dog was injured during air travel on U.S. flights in December, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s monthly air travel report that was released Feb. 5.
On Dec. 5, a 5-year-old Corgi-mix was traveling on Continental Airlines flight 1783 from Phoenix to Houston. The dog escaped her crate and jumped out of the cargo bin when ramp agents opened the door in Houston, the incident report states. Agents eventually captured the dog, although she bit an employee. The dog, whose paw pads were scratched from the incident, was treated by a veterinarian and released to her owner. Continental reports that zip ties were added to the kennel door in Phoenix, however the dog was still able to escape. The company reminded its employees to take extra precautions when adding zip ties to crates that house aggressive dogs, or dogs who don’t appear to be acclimated to their crates in an effort to prevent future escapes.
No other animal-related incidents were reported on U.S. flights during December.
The Department of Agriculture states that they review airlines’ incident reports for violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), such as kennel size or temperature breaches, and pursue investigations if the department questions whether the AWA was violated, according to the department’s animal care staff.
More than two million pets and live animals are transported by air each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.