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The story was shared earlier this month in a now-viral Reddit post titled “dog barking from Paris to Newark”, where the user said the dog began yapping just an hour into the flight and didn’t stop.
“It woke everyone up,” the poster wrote. “It yapped nonstop… It sounded like it was barking in my ear.”
The passenger said the mid-sized dog had been stuffed into a carrier that was clearly too small. The animal reportedly couldn’t stand, sit, or lie down comfortably — even with the carrier’s expansion panel unzipped. The user claims the dog was barking and scrambling so much that “the bag was flipping over.”
According to the post, flight attendants had encouraged the owner to bring the pet toward the back of the plane in hopes of calming it down. But when a crew member told the woman the dog was too big for the carrier, the user said the passenger simply replied, “No he’s not.”
“I have a whole new level of sympathy for flight attendants,” the user wrote. “Because… what are you going to do?”
It’s unclear if the airline took any action or if the passenger violated United's in-cabin pet policy, which requires that animals “fit comfortably in a small, ventilated pet carrier that fits under the seat.”
Someone claiming to be a flight attendant commented on the post, saying actions they can take are limited.
"Unfortunately as a flight attendant the only thing we can do is write up an incident report about the dog have what United describes as N.A.D. behaviours (nuisance, aggressive, and dangerous)," the comment says.
"This would fall under nuisance and includes 'barking, jumping on people, hyperactivity, shedding, being malodorous, urination or defecation, being uncontrolled, and roaming at large.' This is a requirement per the ARIC (animal incident [review] committee) and you have to be super specific including breed, size, and color of the animal. The fact that the animal couldn’t fit plays a role into if she’ll be able to bring the dog onto a United flight again if they wrote her up."
According to United Airlines' website, there are no weight or breed limitations for pets, however, travelers must keep pets in a hard-sided or soft-sided carrier that fits under the seat.
Under "traveler pro tips," the United recommends bringing all pet-care essentials including treats, a collapsible water bowl, plastic bags, and a leash. The site also says, "To keep them calm on the flight, it always helps to have a favorite toy, blanket or pillow that smells familiar."
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