Dog dies during United Airlines flight after owner told to place pet in overhead bin

A French bulldog died somewhere between Houston and New York after a United Airlines flight attendant told a passenger to stow her pet in the overhead bin.

The 10-month-old puppy appears to have suffocated sometime mid-flight Monday while the dog’s owner and her two young children sat below unaware of the danger to their pet.

According to other passengers, the pet owner was told by a flight attendant the dog’s kennel was blocking the aisle. That’s when she was the pet must be stowed in the overhead bin despite the passenger’s protests.

Passenger Maggie Gremminger tweeted about ordeal saying she is heartbroken.

“I can’t get the image out of my head of the woman on the floor of the airplane aisle, crying and holding that sweet dog,” she wrote.

Another passenger documented the ordeal on Facebook. (Warning, it includes a photo of the dead dog.)

“This little guy fought hard for his life, filling our flight with his cries until he finally ran out of breath,” June Lara posted on Facebook. “This poor family paid $125 for their pet to be murdered in front of them. There is no excuse for the pain this family is suffering.”

United does charge $125 for pets to ride in the cabin. Its pet policy also outlines the size of the kennels permitted.

But it says they must fit under the seat and without blocking the aisle.

The airline issued a statement about the incident.

“This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin,” United Airlines said in a statement. “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.”

Still, some are taking their rage out on passengers, like Gremminger.

Others are focusing on United.

According to the Department of Transportation, United had the highest number of animal deaths of any U.S. carrier.

Eighteen animals died and 13 more were injured during transport.

Main Photo United Airlines/Facebook

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