LEFT TO DIE
Boy, 6, heartbroken after his beloved French bulldog Roger ‘dies on US-bound KLM flight when staff left him without water for 18 HOURS’
A BOY, 6, was left heartbroken after his beloved French bulldog Roger died on a US-bound flight when staff allegedly left him without water for 18 hours.
The nine-month-old puppy was travelling to Boston from Amsterdam on KLM on July 26 when tragedy struck, the family said.
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They had bought the adorable pooch in Europe before going to pick him up, and their six-year-old son quickly bonded with him.
The boy’s mum Andreea Suvaina told : “It was his best friend and he was special because emotionally he needed that pet.”
But when they went to pick Roger up back in the US - when he was transported back by an agency - after a long delay they were told he “didn’t make it”.
The devastated family took the pup’s lifeless body to vets who told them he died of heat stroke and dehydration, reports.
It was his best friend and he was special."
Boy's mum Andreea Suvaina
A necropsy report seen by said “limited panting in a stressful, hot or humid environment, combined with a lack of water, would have placed Roger at high risk for heat stroke”.
A spokesperson for KLM told Sun Online the company “took care” of Roger and “gave him the proper attention and treatment”.
They insisted the pooch was given food and water before he was put on the flight to Boston.
The airline said bulldogs are “prone to respiratory problems” and that the family were warned about the risks of Roger travelling.
The spokesperson added: “We sincerely regret that dog Roger passed away and offer his family our condolences for their loss.”
But the family are seemingly unsatisfied with KLM's response and have hired a lawyer.
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Evan Oshan has represented other animal lovers whose beloved pets have died on planes.
He was hired by Michael Dellagrazie, whose Pomeranian was found dead in a Delta Airlines crate during a stopover in Detroit in 2018.
And he represented the owners of a French bulldog puppy that died earlier that year when a United Airlines flight attendant ordered the dog’s carrier to be stowed in an overhead bin.
After the latest tragedy he blasted: “Pets today are family members and [the airline] needs to understand they have to treat these animals with respect and dignity.”
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