HAWAII, USA — An Oregon family is grieving the loss of their dog, who died while waiting for a flight to depart from Hawaii for Oregon. Gary and Angie Engelgau are distraught over the death of their four-year-old French Bulldog named Frank.
"He was such a good dog. He was. He wasn't the smartest dog," Gary said with a smile. His wife, Angie, smiled too, and added: "He was not smart. He was not smart at all."
Frank may not have been the smartest dog by their account, but he was their family dog.
"Four years was not long enough — he was only 4," Angie said of Frank.
On Sunday, Gary and Angie had moved out of their home in Hawaii and headed to the airport in Honolulu to move to back to Oregon. Gary had grown up in Portland, and this time they were moving to southern Oregon. They had loaded up their belongings, grabbed a car to the airport and loaded their dogs: Frank, his sister Charlie, and Fawn, their 15-year-old Beagle-Chihuahua mix, to take on the plane with them.
"So, we're bringing everything and our pets — and everyone," Gary said.
'Hawaii is not dog friendly'
When they got to the airport at about 10 a.m., temperatures were in the 80s outside. They brought their dogs into the airport, took them out to go through security and then put them back in their carriers. They said when they asked to take their dogs out of their carriers, they were denied.
"Hawaii is not dog friendly," Angie said. "You are not allowed to have them out of the carrier at all in the airport — except in the pet relief area."
According to the website for the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, it's unclear if dogs are allowed out of their carriers inside the airport other than in designated areas. But a spokesperson for the airport told KGW that the airport "would not restrict access for this particular request."
KGW also reached out to Portland International Airport (PDX). A spokesperson said the rules at PDX state that, "If the animal does not fit in a standard-sized cabin carrier, the owner must carry the animal at all times — except when using the pet relief area. If the animal is too large to carry, the animal must remain on a short leash that does not extend from the body by more than three feet."
Honolulu's airport is a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces, but even in the outdoor spaces which are within the secure area of the airport, the Engelgaus said they were again denied.
"We are just sitting at the gate waiting for our flight." Angie said. "He [Frank] is just panting and we kept asking the crew at the desk if we could take them out."
The Engelgaus spent time outside but were told to keep the dogs in their carriers.
"After we took them out to go to the bathroom, we broke the rules — we kept them out," Gary said. "We kept them in the shade, we gave them water to try and cool them off. We gave them water. We were out there for about 40 minutes."
'He wasn't moving or breathing'
They waited outside until it was time to board their flight. When they were seated on the plane, they again tried to cool down their dogs.
"We unzipped it a little bit. We unzipped the top and we were taking turns waving the safety pamphlet in order to try and cool them off," Gary said.
They asked the flight attendants on board their Alaska Airlines flight if they could take the dogs out of their carriers, and again said they were told no.
Alaska Airlines requires dogs stay in the carriers during taxi, takeoff and landing, as well as in the boarding areas.
Gary and Angie then asked for ice, but when it finally came, they said it was too late. Frank had stopped breathing.
"When I was trying to get him out, I tried shaking him. He wasn't moving," Gary said. "I pulled him out of the carrier, and his eyes were open. His tongue was hanging out a little bit, and he wasn't moving or breathing. That was it."
Frank was dead.
"We had to hold our poor baby's lifeless body because they would not let him out of that kennel, when you could clearly hear he was in distress," Angie said, crying.
For the next five and a half hours, they sat in their seats holding their other two dogs and flew to Portland, with tears of sadness and frustration.
"We want some sort of change from the airlines," Angie said. "I want to find whoever I need to find, to create a law that allows dogs to have a chance to live when traveling."
Alaska Airlines said they were aware of the incident and sent a statement to KGW that reads: "We take the care of pets flying with us seriously and we’re saddened by the reported loss of this guest’s pet. Our crew members followed their processes as it relates to pets on board aircraft and took extra care of the guests for the duration of the flight."
Animal deaths on planes are a somewhat rare occurrence, but they do happen. According to monthly reports released by the U.S. Department of Transportation, over the past 12 months, six animals died and three others were injured.