United Airlines Accidentally Sent A Beloved Family Dog To Japan Instead Of Kansas

This isn’t nearly as traumatic and heartbreaking as United’s most recent dog-related mishap (I don’t even want to talk about it because I get TOO EMOTIONAL), but it’s still super messed up.

Get a freaking grip, United. Seriously.

According to this, United Airlines accidentally sent a German Shepard to the wrong place. Irgo was supposed to go to Wichita, Kansas, but United sent the family dog to freaking Japan.

Kara and Joseph Swindle, along with their children, are in the process of moving from Oregon to Wichita.

With her 7-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter, Kara Swindle flew into Kansas City Tuesday on a United Airlines flight.

When they arrived, they went to a United Airlines cargo facility to pick up Irgo, their 10-year-old German Shepherd.

Irgo had flown in a kennel on a different United Airlines flight that arrived at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

When the family went to the facility, she discovered a Great Dane dog instead. She later discovered that due to a mix-up, Irgo had been mistakenly put on a United Airlines flight to Japan. The Great Dane dog was scheduled to go to Japan.

I would be LIVID. I would also be hyperventilating because there’s NO WAY I would be able to survive on a flight, knowing that my dog is underneath the plane all scared with the cargo. NOOOOOPE. I’d rather suffer in a car for hours on end.

Oh. And I guess United told the family that they couldn’t immediately get their dog, either.

The airline originally told Swindle that because Irgo was on an international flight, the dog might be required to be quarantined in Japan up to two weeks.

Can you even imagine? I’d be devastated. That poor dog! The worst part is, they don’t even know where their dog is at this point. United has located him (I’m assuming Irgo is a boy– a GOOD boy *say it in a dog voice*), but it doesn’t sound like the family knows the specifics. He’s on the other side of the world with people he doesn’t know. It doesn’t even sound like they know who’s caring for him.

“I just want to know where my dog is,” Swindle said. “The fact that we don’t have any idea is the most frustrating part. He could be in Kansas City and we have no idea because the paperwork is all messed up. They have our paperwork here saying that this is the correct dog, but we know it’s not. It’s just horrible.”

United Airlines paid for Swindle and her children to stay at a Marriott Hotel near the airport Tuesday night.

Swindle says, now, she just hopes that Irgo is okay, wherever he is.

“At this point, all I can do is be hopeful that my dog is going to be okay and return safely,” she said. “I don’t know what else to do at this point. I can’t cry anymore. I’ve cried too much.”

I’m about to burst in tears on her behalf. She doesn’t even know when her precious pup will return home. This is NOT OK UNITED.

United provided this statement to KCTV5 News:

“An error occurred during connections in Denver for two pets sent to the wrong destinations. We have notified our customers that their pets have arrived safely and will arrange to return the pets to them as soon as possible. We apologize for this mistake and are following up with the vendor kennel where they were kept overnight to understand what happened.”

So ridiculous.

Update:

UPDATE: Just spoke with dog owner. Says dog has landed in Japan and was told by @united that the dog will see a vet and be sent back home tonight. @KCTV5 https://t.co/Wfw5eHQDpk

— Abigael Jaymes (@AbigaelKCTV5) March 14, 2018