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She could have made a sign, "Please save my hamster!" A cute girl like that would not have had to wait very long for help. But now she'll be forever known as the hamster killer.
Yes indeed. She was at check in or before security could let her through.
So she easily could have walked to arrivals and offer the animal for free and safe this poor animals life!
She should be banned from ever having an animal and no longer be eligible any benefits
It can be a pain not to mention expensive to find someone to care for your pets when traveling. This was a college student over T'giving whose friends more likely than not were also away for the holiday. Getting Pebbles the Hamster on the plane as a support animal was no doubt perceived as a good solution.
If you can't afford to properly care for a pet, don't get a pet. It really is that simple.
It's unfortunate that pets are restricted so much. You can't even bring your dog on a plane at all if it's not a purse-stuffer and you don't want it in cargo (very unsafe for dogs).
What about families moving across the country or abroad, where driving is impractical or impossible? What are they supposed to do?
Still, this person was f'ed in the head to think that flushing her live hamster down the toilet was in any way acceptable.
There are companies that offer pet transport. Not sure if there are any who do overseas travel, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were.
One of our rescues was flown up from the south by 'Pilots and Paws'. Pilots of small planes donate their time, and Subaru helps pay for the fuel.
I do fell bad for the hamster for having such a dim witted owner who did not bother to find out the rules before boarding.
Part of the controversy is that she did contact Spirit who incorrectly informed her that Pebbles would be allowed to board. Not so. (Most airlines don't allow hamsters, only Frontier and possibly Delta.)
Still, the girl's problem-solving skills were terrible. She seems to have spent several hours at the airport after being rebooked on a later Spirit flight to figure out a solution. As others point out, she probably could have re-homed the hamster in the airport itself. Or if that were too dramatic for her, maybe gone on to Facebook with a "Save Pebbles" page. Or what about calling local vets to arrange for an emergency-board? Or, heck, maybe even a PetSmart?
Well, THAT took all of a minute to think about. That this girl spent some time in the airport and came up blank (except for the toilet) is strange. Helpless kids?
If that had been my daughter (with our Sammy the Hamster) I have full confidence that she would have returned to her dorm to boycott T'giving or taken the 24 to 26 hour bus ride to Florida.
Or, more likely, called me for help. At which point, I'd be the person on the phone figuring it out.
It seems that her "emotional support" wasn't going to get in her way of convenience...
I have cats, which I love, they are my little buddies but in no way do I NEED them for emotional support, yet I have made decisions in my life that were inconvenient for me just so I may keep them happy and healthy because I took on a responsibility to them for life. Funny thing is...they weren'y even mine initially, a girlfriend brought them and abandon them with me when she left. I believe that once you take on a pet, you have committed to their care for life...yours or theirs.
They are not to be discarded for convenience.
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