11-30-2009
09:30 PM
11 Loves
We need your help! Southwest Airlines made us leave our sweet 15 pound rescue puppy in Little Rock, after they let us fly there. We met all the specifications to get the dog on board, and the main reason he did not get on the plane was because Southwest Airlines hired employees who are supposed to be in charge of checking the dogs, but hate dogs/ are deathly afraid of them, and do not know how to follow their own rules.
And now our puppy is in LR, he already has seperation anxiety, he had vet appointments today in SD, and all because of petty cruel employees. Also, Southwest does not seem to care enough to respond quickly to the situation, because we are just 2 nobodies as far as they are concerned, and think it is ok to let our family puppy be away from his loving owners. Please write them at https://www.southwest.com/cgi-bin/feedbackEntry and put in reference #164211661 and let them know this is unacceptable. Also, any lawyers or journalist, or people who know any of those types, who would be interested in helping, please contact me.
Sunday morning, at 5:30 am Beren (my fiance) and I (Jonathan) went to the Little Rock Airport with our 6 month old puppy Gatsby (half dachshund/half cocker spaniel, 15 pounds) to fly back to San Diego on Southwest Airlines. We had sedated Gatsby but Beren had him in her arms as we waited to check our bags and to purchase the pet boarding pass that we had already reserved. The Southwest lady finished with the passenger ahead of us in line, and so we walked up to her. She all of a sudden noticed Gatsby in Beren's arms and freaked out. Freaked out bad, because apparently she was afraid of all dogs, even cute 15 pound puppies that are asleep. She told Beren to put him in the dog crate immediately, and she said that he had to be in his crate at all times, which we know is not entirely true, because you have to take him out to go through security, and the policy said that he only has to be in his crate once you go through security, so she was misinformed. She calls out her supervisor because she is so freaked that she saw a dog, even though it is part of her job, and so he comes out suspicious and slightly hostile. He then says that the dog is too big and that he is not getting on the flight. We flew with Gatsby to LR from SD and have before, he is under 25 pounds, and meets all their policies regarding dogs, and they let us bring him here. Beren told him that Gatsby is 15 pounds and not too big. Then the supervisor said that the crate was too small for gatsby. We put Gatsby in the crate to show that he was erroneous. THen the supervisor said that the dog needs to stand up in the crate. Southwest policy says the dog must be able to move around comfortably and be able to stand up in the crate. We have the measurements to prove that Gatsby can stand up in the crate and move around, but the man just was not in a good mood and was rude and just kept saying no and no and no, because Beren was crying and telling him that this is ridiculous, the dog had flown several times in that crate, he can stand up, he just wasnt at that split second because he was sedated to ensure that he was quiet in the plane for the other passengers. The man tells Beren she needs to calm down and that there is no way that the dog is getting on the flight (which was only half full, and we had reservations for Gatsby, and we had met all their requirements because we had traveled a few times with him). Beren goes outside and calls her stepmother Ashley who dropped us off, and Ashley returns and attempts to talk to them. THe supervisor was already holding Berens boarding pass and wouldnt hand it over to me, luckily we had online versions printed off. Ashley walks in with Gatsby in the crate, Gatsby is standing up in the crate, moving around in it, and Ashley points that out, and the supervisor is being obtuse and stubborn and just says no. Ashley starts arguing, and eventually the police come over to see what the problem is, so I grab Ashley and tell her we have to leave. Ashley takes Gatsby and drives home and Beren and I get on the plane, because we have obligations that had to be taken care of. Luckily our families live in LR, or we dont know what we would have done.
All this started because Southwest hired a woman who was deathly afraid of dogs, even though part of her job is checking in dogs. Then it being so early in the morning and the only supervisor working is not in a good mood and not a puppy lover, so they tell us our puppy can not go home with us. They let us fly to LR with our 15 pound puppy in his airline approved crate that he definitely fits in, but then because of ignorant employees in LR, we do not have our cute little puppy dog with us, who had vet appointments today and friday in SD, and who is an integral part of our little family. And the employees were smug about it, like, proud and happy they had kept a sweet sleeping puppy (who met all the requirements, and who SOuthwest had let go to LR) be forced to stay away from his family. Beren and I are outraged, we are trying to talk to Southwest about it, but they are so slow to make amends, and probably wont do anything to their employees. We are looking into hiring a lawyer to sue Southwest if they dont play ball, and to sue the employees personally, for both apologies, negligence, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. ALSO TO GET OUR PUPPY Back to SD. My parents might fly another airlines to drop him off, but we have had such an emotional horrible experience, it is not easy to get a dog somewhere, and SOuthwest is so slow to respond to us, we are freaking out.
We knew their policies, we met their policies, and there was no need for any of this to happen. That puppy is like our little child and we want him back, we want those horrible employees fired, and we want Southwest to train all their employees on the correct procedures so this does not happen to anybody else. It is heart breaking.
Either Southwest employees screwed up in San Diego or Southwest employees screwed up in Little Rock (and were rude). It is not fair for them to have a pet policy that their employees dont know how to enforce, and to make us leave our puppy who is a rescue and already has issues, behind in a city they let him travel to, is ridiculous!! My fiance can not stop crying and we really miss him, and so far Southwest has done nothing but tell us to hold on.
If you have the time, please write Southwest and let them know your outrage. Again, the email is https://www.southwest.com/cgi-bin/feedbackEntry and put in reference #164211661 and let them know this is unacceptable and outrageous, and help us get our puppy back soon.
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