Delta airlines is being sued by a Utah woman for $4 million after three of her dogs died in transit on a flight from Hungary to the Beehive State.
In 2008, Barbara Burgett, took a flight from Hungary to Utah with a stopover in New York. She was traveling with 11 dogs: her 6-year-old French Bulldog, named Hector, and 10 four-month-old puppies. The dogs were purchased for $20,000, and the shipping charge was $250 per pooch.
Everything appeared to be fine when they landed at JFK. When the plane arrived in Utah, however, Hector was dead, and two of the puppies were in serious condition; the two pups died the next day.
Burgett’s lawsuit, filed last month, alleges the animal hold reached temperatures of 120 degrees, and that the dogs went without food and water during the trip. French Bulldogs and other snub-nosed breeds are prone to heat exhaustion.
Delta claims the company did nothing wrong.
The airline has since changed its pet policy in regards to checking dogs and cats as baggage, and will not transport snub-nosed dogs, such as French Bulldogs, in such a manner. “We know your pet is an important part of the family,” the site states.
