Pup DIES On United Flight After Flight Attendant Forces Him Into Overhead Bin

I love my pets like family.

Seriously… I understand they’re not human… nor do their lives have the same “value” as that of a human… but they’ve been there to comfort me through difficult times, and have shared the good times in my life as well. I’ll do anything in my power to keep them happy and safe, because I truly love them.

Which is why this story just breaks my heart. I would be so incredibly heartbroken…

According to the New York Post:

On Monday night, a dog died in a plane after a United Airlines flight attendant forced the dog into an overhead bin.

Maggie Gremminger, a passenger on a flight from Houston to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, uploaded a photo of the dog’s owners on Twitter. “I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of an @united flight attendant. My heart is broken,” reads the image caption.

I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of an @united flight attendant. My heart is broken. pic.twitter.com/mjXYAhxsAq

— MaggieGremminger (@MaggieGrem) March 13, 2018

The Points Guy reports that during their flight, an attendant insisted that the woman put her dog, which was held in a TSA-approved pet carrier, in an overhead bin for the rest of the flight.

I don’t understand this at all. Pets are allowed on flights in TSA carriers- and ONLY stowed underneath the seat in front of each passenger. Why would the flight attendant put a dog in an overhead bin? That goes against every policy I’ve ever heard on traveling with pets.

Passengers heard barking during the flight, but didn’t learn that the dog had died until the flight was over.

“There was no sound as we landed and opened his kennel,” passenger June Lara writes in a Facebook post. “There was no movement as his family called his name. I held her baby as the mother attempted to resuscitate their 10 month old puppy.”

Gremminger’s and Lara’s posts about the ordeal are now going viral on social media. United is facing online backlash.

“Another reason I will never ever fly or support doing business with United Airlines!” one Twitter user writes.

A United spokesperson addressed the incident in a statement to The Points Guy: “This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again.”

I’m just SO confused by this… I haven’t been able to find an explanation as to WHY the flight attendant forced that poor puppy into the overhead bin.

According to United’s website, its policy for onboard pets is: “A pet traveling in cabin must be carried in an approved hard-sided or soft-sided kennel. The kennel must fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times.”

I hope they make this right by them… though of course they can’t bring back their pet.

New York Post included a picture of the poor little dog after he was found dead… but I don’t really feel like posting it. So you can see it here, if you want to.