Alejandro died on a Delta flight last Wednesday. Good Morning America/ABC A dog died during a layover in Detroit on a Delta flight from…
Alejandro died on a Delta flight last Wednesday. Good Morning America/ABC
A dog died during a layover in Detroit on a Delta flight from Phoenix to Newark on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the airline told CNN. Delta said it’s investigating the incident.
The eight-year-old Pomeranian named Alejandro was found dead in its cage in the cargo hold. A Delta official told CNN the dog was discovered with vomit and fluids in its cage. A local Detroit news station also reported that Alejandro’s blanket had blood stains on it.
« He was in their care and they didn’t take care of him, » Michael Dellegrazie, the dog’s owner, told a local Detroit news station .
Alejandro was found dead on a layover in Detroit in the space of a half-hour.
« There was a stop in Detroit at 6 a.m. Alejandro was checked on. He was alive, » Evan Oshan, an attorney representing the dog owner, told CNN. « Then between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. he was checked on again and he was dead. »
Delta said it’s investigating the situation and has been working with Dellegrazie to support him.
« We know pets are an important member of the family and we are focused on the well-being of all animals we transport, » the airline said in a statement provided to INSIDER. « As part of that review, we want to find out more about why this may have occurred to ensure it doesn’t happen again. »
Delta also said the dog’s owner didn’t allow it to perform a necropsy on the body to figure out what happened.
« Delta offered to have Alejandro evaluated by a veterinarian while in our possession to find out more about why this may have occurred, » the airlane said in the statement. « We are disappointed that we were not allowed to have a necropsy performed immediately following this unfortunate situation. »
The animal death comes after a series of animal mishaps with the airline United. In March, a French bulldog died after a flight attendant made an attendant put it in an overhead bin.
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