People do a lot of stupid things for the 'gram, including extreme shots that risk fracturing their legs, arms, hips and head. And some even put their pets in danger, along with their own lives. I can't believe I'm about to type this, but, you should probably NOT put your pet at risk for Instagram likes. That's a stance shared by Senators Chuck Schumer and Bob Menendez, who launched a campaign this weekend to stop a NYC helicopter company from allowing dogs on open-door flights.

“Strapping in dogs for dangerous doors-off flights over New York is just totally repugnant,” Schumer said during a press conference on Sunday.

The two senators want the FAA to ban companies like FlyNYON from allowing doors-off chopper flights that endanger passengers. "We want them to take action now on this loophole that ultimately allows an amateur — not a professional photographer, not someone doing it for a television station — to hang off the side of a helicopter in an open-seat capacity and create a risk to their lives," Menendez said, according to WNYC.

FlyNYON offers anyone the chance to snap photos with dangling legs over the city on one of their tours—you can see photos, like the one above, of the "shoe selfies" on their Instagram. In 2018, there was a fatal helicopter crash in the East River in which five people were killed when they weren’t able to escape their special harnesses for open-door photo shooting. That flight was operated by Liberty Helicopter on behalf of FlyNYON, who are the subject of two active federal investigations, Schumer noted. The Times reported back then that executives from FlyNYON ignored concerns about safety from the pilots, insisting that the operation was safe.

In the months after that crash, the company has continued to offer discounts to customers for taking their tours—including 40 percent savings on its 16- and 30-minute chopper tours. Schumer noted that their latest ploy is a "brazen marketing campaign to bait more customers aboard by including new incentives to strap in your dog." You can see one of those promo videos below.

A FlyNyon spokesperson said in a statement: "The facts are simple. Today, we are focused on raising money to help these animals and their human partners that are on the frontline of supporting recovery efforts like those of hurricane Dorian, not trying to score political points." 

They added, "FlyNyon is fully compliant with all FAA operating and safety standards. We appreciate and stand ready to support smart actions that allow for enhanced helicopter safety in New York and New Jersey. We invite both Senators Schumer and Menendez on Monday to our office to discuss this very important matter.” The company noted on its website that it has already raised more than $13,000 for Pilots N Paws, which transports rescue animals via aircraft.

You can see another promo video for the doors-off pet tour experience below, featuring Bentley the Bulldog, who to be fair, is apparently known for riding helicopters.

Other helicopter companies, include Blade, also have pet policies with their flights.

An FAA spokeswoman said the agency had received a letter from Schumer and Menendez regarding the issue, and would respond directly to them.