Delta lost and never found our dog Ty. Since losing our beloved family member, they have yet to provide us the report detailing what happened, admit to negligence, or help in our efforts to find Ty. We are calling on Delta to release their report to the Federal Aviation Administration on what happened to Ty, apologize for their wrong-doing, and state how they will prevent this from happening again.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has strict rules on airline travel and animals. We felt confident Ty could be entrusted to Delta to fly safely with our son Frank from Los Angeles to our new home in Tampa. Ty had been checked by our vet and transported in an airline approved crate. Delta confirmed everything was in order prior to assuming responsibility for Ty. When we said our goodbyes to Ty, his tail wagging, we never imagined it would be for the last time.
Prior to takeoff, Frank was removed from the plane and told Delta couldn’t find Ty. Our son was confused and horrified listening to Delta’s story. One minute Delta had the dog, and the next he was gone. They claimed there were no witnesses. Eventually Delta would state Ty had “compromised the kennel on his own”. When we got the crate back there were no bite marks, scratches, or other damage inside that would corroborate Delta’s story. All we found was a crack on the outside of the kennel that wasn’t there when Delta checked Ty into their custody.
After Delta lost a member of our family all we asked for was help searching for Ty. Delta denied our requests in helping provide resources for the search effort. Instead, we had to rely on many kind-hearted volunteers who spent weeks searching, putting up posters, and talking to people in the area.
To add insult to injury, a Delta employee at LAX commented on a local news story about Ty’s disappearance. The employee accused our family of animal abuse because we didn’t drug Ty prior to the flight and claimed to have seen Ty run across the tarmac and into a neighborhood, adding “Hopefully to a better home, who actually CARE for him.” Delta had lost our dog and we were being treated horribly.
We believe that in an age of heightened security, regulation, and surveillance at airports, Delta has no excuses for losing Ty. Not only do they owe our family the truth and an apology, they owe their valued customers assurances that they have a plan to ensure this never happens to another family. Pets are family members and irreplaceable, not to be treated as just another piece of luggage. Please join us in calling on Delta to release their official report, apologize to our family, and put in place a plan to prevent future pets from being lost. Please sign and share our petition today.
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