Dogs and planes have been the subject of much news lately: United Airlines stopped flying animals in and out of four desert-climate cities for the summer season, for example, also eliminating many breeds from flying on the airline altogether. But one airline just exhibited a seriously pro-pup move, with one flight crew rescued a dog on a recent flight with an oxygen mask, according to ABC News.
This weekend, one family brought their beloved French bulldog Darcy on a flight that departed from Florida en route Massachusetts. Unfortunately, her owner Michele Burt noticed mid-flight that Darcy was definitely in distress, telling ABC News the dog’s tongue turned blue and that she was visibly having difficulty breathing.
Snapping into action, the crew came to the rescue with an oxygen mask for Darcy. Photos show the sweet Frenchie being treated for hypoxia, a condition when there is a lack of oxygen in the body. “I placed the mask over her face, and within a few minutes she became alert and after a short time she didn’t want the mask,” Burt told ABC News. “I believe [crew members] Renaud and Diane saved a life, some may reduce the value of the life because Darcy is a canine, I do not.”
What’s more, crew member Renaud Fenster, who spoke to ABC’s Good Morning America Monday morning, said he’d “never seen anything like this” in his 15 years working in the airline industry.
“I was passing through the cabin to check up on a passenger, and I noticed [another] passenger, who had the dog out of her crate and the dog had an indication that it wasn’t looking too well… I believe the dog passed out,” he said. “The dog started panting very rapidly and uncontrollably, and so as a French bulldog owner myself, I knew the dog was overheating and needed some ice. I brought the dog some ice, and that didn’t do anything.
“I decided that we needed to consider using oxygen to support the animal,” Fenster said. “So I called the captain, and I told him, ‘I think I need to use some oxygen,’ and he said, ‘Go ahead.’ And right then and there, placed the oxygen on the dog and the dog revived like nothing else.”
“We all want to make sure everyone has a safe and comfortable fight, including those with four legs,” JetBlue said in a statement to ABC News. “We’re thankful for our crew’s quick thinking and glad everyone involved was breathing easier when the plane landed in Worcester.”
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