A family is devastated after their beloved dog died from heat exhaustion on an Alaska Airlines flight.
Angie and Gary Englegau are devastated by the death of their four-year-old French bulldog Frank.
The couple moved from Hawaii to Portland, Oregon on June 30 when the tragedy occurred.
“Life won’t be the same without him,” Angie wrote in a heartbreaking Facebook post.
The family was traveling with Frank’s sister Charlie and their other dog Fawn, in outside temperatures around 27 degrees Celsius.
They allege that upon arrival at Honolulu International Airport, the opportunity to remove the dogs from their cages was minimal due to airport policy.
While sitting at the gate, they noticed Frank starting to pant. They were reportedly told not to let him out.
Once on board the plane, their request to remove Frank was again denied.
The Englegaus say they then asked for ice cubes three times in a desperate attempt to cool their dog down.
But when the time came, Frank had unfortunately already passed away.
“When I tried to get him out, I tried to shake him. He wouldn’t budge,” Gary told KGW.
“I took him out of the carrier and his eyes were open. His tongue was kind of hanging out and he wasn’t moving or breathing. That was it.”
The distraught couple were then forced to carry their dog’s limp body for the remaining five and a half hour flight.
“We had to hold our poor baby’s lifeless body because they wouldn’t let him out of the kennel. You could clearly hear he was in distress,” Angie added.
Alaska Airlines requires pets to be kept in their carriers during taxi, takeoff, and landing.
But the couple say the policy contributed to Frank’s suffering and blame the airline and Honolulu International Airport for Frank’s death.
“The truth is he was murdered! He was murdered by Honolulu International Airport and by Alaska Airlines,” Angie fumed.
“Hawaii is not dog friendly. You can’t have them out of the carrier bag at all in the airport — except in the pet relief area.”
The couple are now pushing for changes to the rules surrounding the transportation of pets.
“We want some kind of change from the airlines,” Angie said. “I want to find who I can find to create a law that gives dogs the chance to live while they’re traveling.”
For the Englegaus, who paid tribute to their “sweet, crazy and loving boy,” any change will be too late.
They also expressed concern about Frank’s surviving sister, Charlie, who suffers from separation anxiety when away from her brother.
“Charlie won’t be the same without him,” Angie said. “She’s barely eaten anything and we’re very worried about her.
“We just hope that over time she will return to her normal devilish self. She will always be missing a part of herself.”
“We were incredibly lucky to have had Frank in our family for four years. It’s just not enough and it’s unfair that he’s gone now.”
“We take the care of the pets that fly with us very seriously and are saddened by the reported loss of this guest’s pet,” an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said.
‘Our crew members adhered to the rules for pets on board the aircraft and paid extra attention to the guests during the flight.’
Hawaii’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport does not clearly state its policy on bringing dogs outside their carriers, but a spokesperson said there are “no restrictions on entry for this specific request.”