Maggie Rizer is accusing United Airlines of “killing” for her Golden Retriever, Beatrice.
Her pup was riding in the cargo hold of a cross-country flight to from upstate New York to San Francisco.
The model wrote on her blog “Bea Makes Three” that she blames “the negligence of United Airlines” for her dog’s death.
She writes that the 2-year-old dog was perfectly healthy and that a special kennel and provisions were given to Bea and her other dog, Albert, for the Sept. 3 flight.
After the plane landed, a cargo worker told Rizer that one of the dogs had died. When Rizer asked for the dog’s body, she was informed that the remains had already been transported from the airport to a local vet for a necropsy, or an animal autopsy.
“Whatever thread of trust remained between us and United broke and we then insisted that she be returned to us for our own autopsy…Over the next two hours the supervisor’s lie unraveled 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 claims.
United Airlines has expressed condolences and said in a statement that they “understand that the loss of a beloved pet is difficult.”
United continued: “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. We would like to finalize the review but are unable until we receive a copy of the necropsy.”