From First Class to Economy: A Man Sues an Airline Because His Dog Died After a Transfer (4 photos)

The dog's owner says he took his bulldog to the vet before the flight, where he was assured that the animal was healthy. The flight attendants, according to the man, ignored his requests and showed no sympathy for the death of his pet.





French bulldog owner Michael Contillo is suing the airline because his dog was moved from first class, where he had purchased tickets, to economy. The man claims that the fear from the transfer led to the dog's death.

Contillo said he bought two first-class tickets for himself and his father so their dogs would have more space and be surrounded by fewer passengers, but shortly before takeoff from New York, a flight attendant and another man asked them to move to row 11 of the plane for safety.



"Moving dogs makes them very anxious and agitated, which leads to extremely dangerous respiratory and cardiac problems," according to the complaint filed in San Francisco County Superior Court on Oct. 16.

The bulldog's owner said the change could be fatal for the dog, especially before a change in altitude.

According to Contillo, the flight attendants ignored his request and one of his dogs, Ash, "immediately began breathing very rapidly and heavily, with visible distress." However, he was ordered to close the pet carrier. Contillo followed the order but noticed that Ash had stopped moving, but was unable to verify what had happened to him until the plane "reached a certain altitude."

When the plane landed, Ash's body was in a state of rigor mortis, which occurs about four hours after dogs die. In his complaint, he noted that the cross-country flight lasted five hours.





The son and his father began to cry when they learned of Ash's death, but none of the crew members, they say, stopped or even offered sympathy.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, dogs with short noses, such as bulldogs, are at higher risk of dying on a plane than puppies with normal, long snouts, which do not face as many respiratory problems.

Contillo said he took both of his bulldogs to a veterinary hospital before the flight, where he was told they were both healthy.

In the lawsuit, the man accuses the airline of negligence, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, and negligent hiring and supervision.

Contillo is seeking damages, the amount of which will be determined during the trial.



Journalists recalled that in 2018, a 10-month-old French bulldog died after its owners were forced to place the animal's carrier in the overhead compartment of an airline plane. The owners said they heard the dog barking but were unable to check on it due to turbulence and claimed the dog was dead when they retrieved it.