Golden Retriever named Er Mao, traveled with his owner on May 29th. However, due to the size and weight of the animal, he was unable to travel in the passenger cabin. The dog was inside a shipping box in the cargo area of the China Eastern Airlines flight.
After the flight, upon arriving at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in China, the owner received his dog from the hands of the local staff. However, the animal was badly injured.
According to the owner, who waited more than an hour to receive his dog, the dog suffered serious injuries to his eyes and body.
The animal is believed to have been mistreated by airport officials. The information that the owner received was that the dog escaped from its transport box and was rescued by the airport staff while still at the place of origin, which caused a 40-minute delay for the flight’s departure. However, the assumption is that local officials have used "excessive force” to retrieve the dog and put it back in the cage.
According to an airport statement, eight team members spent more than 40 minutes chasing the runaway animal before putting it back in its transport case. The airport also said that its team had to react to the "emergency situation” in order to prevent damage to employees and passengers and apologized to the owner for the incident with the dog.
The dog’s owner informed that the animal continues to receive medical treatment in a veterinary hospital, but is not at risk. He also said he required more information about the case and could take legal action.
An investigation is underway to determine who will take the blame for the dog’s escape and injury.
