Traveling with pets can be a hassle, no matter how much you love your animal companions. A United Airlines flight was diverted last Friday after a dog pooped in the aisle onboard. Flight 422 from Houston, Texas to Seattle, Washington was forced to land in Dallas after only an hour in the sky. The ground crew then spent two hours fruitlessly trying to clean the carpet. The incident isn’t the first time this year that a dog has caused chaos in the skies.
The feces-filled anecdote was initially shared by a passenger on the flight to Reddit then United confirmed the story to Business Insider. The flyer claims that the dog in question took a messy dump by the first-class lavatory. I would best compare the poop to saffron-tinted mud. The ground crew at DFW allegedly spent two hours attempting to clean the floor with paper towels. The posting passenger said that “the smell never quite went away” and the lavatory was deemed unusable after the flight continued on to Seattle.
United Airlines allows passengers to travel with any kind of cat or dog on domestic flights as long as the pet fits inside a carrier that can be stored under a seat. The airline also stipulates that the pet must remain inside their carrier for the entire flight. Service dogs don’t have to fly in carriers. United requires passengers with service animals to fill out a USDOT form to ensure their dog is properly trained.
In February, a passenger on a United flight between Denver and Portland decided to take her chihuahua out of its carrier. While the dog was seated in her lap, it defecated all over her. According to WGN, the dog owner told other passengers that she hadn’t taken the chihuahua to an airport pet relief area before the flight. Yes, accidents happen but you should do everything possible to keep your pet comfortable during a flight.