Supermodel blames airline for pet dog's death

PA

American model Maggie Rizer claims her two-year-old golden retriever was killed by the negligence of United Airlines, after the dog died on one of its flights.

Rizer, who has been on the covers of Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar, was travelling from New York to San Francisco with her family and two dogs, Bea and Albert, when Bea passed away in the hold on the flight.

ABC News reports that the 34-year-old model created a post on her blog Bea Makes Three, titled United Airlines Killed Our Golden Retriever, Bea, and wrote that Bea was in perfect health and received a full examination and health certificate four days before the flight.

She wrote: 'Both the dog's [sic] kennels were labeled front to back with emergency numbers, flight information and warnings. Their kennels were purchased specifically for the measurements and design specified by PetSafe. We purchased special water bowls which we filled with ice to ensure that the water wouldn't spill and that it would last longer.'

Upon arrival in San Francisco, Rizer was told that the dog had died and was taken to a local vet for an autopsy, which she says was untrue.

'We...insisted she be returned to us for our own autopsy by our trusted veterinarian...Over the next two hours, the supervisor's lie unravelled as it became clear that Bea was right behind a closed door the whole time and he had been discussing how to handle the potential liability with his boss who had left and sticking to the divert and stall tactic that they had been taught.'

Rizer wrote that an autopsy performed by her vet revealed that her dog died of heatstroke, but it couldn't be determined 'exactly what happened' on the flight.

'I'm not sure why the fact that the other dogs were not killed clears United Airlines but, they seem to think it does,' she wrote.

In a statement to ABC News, United Airlines said: 'We understand that the loss of a beloved pet is difficult and express our condolences to Ms. Rizer and her family for their loss. After careful review, we found there were no mechanical or operational issues with Bea's flight and also determined she was in a temperature-controlled environment for her entire journey.'

The airline said it was in the process of refunding the cost of both pets, which totalled $1,800 (£1,110), and it would also cover the cost of the autopsy.

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