Well there's good news... and there's heart-wrenchingly awful news. WABC reports that Saturday night two 6-week-old puppies journeyed from Mexico City to New York City inside a cargo bay on an aircraft bound for JFK. But during their flight the temperature dropped and when they landed, Customs and Border Protection officers received a call saying they appeared to be dead.
Officers responded to find one puppy clinging to life, and the other dead—but through some quick first aid, the one who was barely alive pulled through. A vet that evaluated him said he is playful and doing well, and has been reunited with his owner.
Is there no protocol for making sure precious cargo like this doesn't freeze to death on a long flight? According to Pet Travel, "temperature restrictions have been established by some airlines to ensure animals are not exposed to extreme heat or cold in the animal holding areas, terminal facilities, when moving the animals between terminal and aircraft or on an aircraft." And allegedly pets cannot be accepted when the ground temperature is below 45 degrees.
