Our pets are just like our family members, which means we love and care for them just like one too. Just recently, a Chinese netizen posted on Weibo about the ill-treatment his beloved Golden Retriever received at the hands of Tianhe International Airport’s staff.
Source: asiaone
Last Thursday, the 23-year-old owner was travelling from Shanghai to Wuhan on China Eastern Airlines with his dog, who was placed in the cargo hold but when he went to collect his dog after the flight landed, he was shocked to see that his dog was heavily injured.
Source: shanghaiist
The 11-month-old canine has been identified as Er Mao, and it has sustained severe injuries on its eyes and body after the traumatising ride on the airplane.
According to SCMP, the owner said, “My golden retriever, flying with me, landed at [Wuhan] Tianhe airport and was severely assaulted. I wish China Eastern Airlines and Tianhe Airport would give me a reasonable explanation and stop shifting responsibility.”
Apparently, when the owner landed in Tianhe airport and went to collect his dog, he was informed that his dog was missing as it had escaped from its cage. The staff told him that they were trying to recapture his dog while he waited anxiously for two hours. They said it took about eight staff members more than 40 minutes to restrain the dog.
Source: shanghaiist
But when the dog was returned to him, he was aghast at the dog’s condition as it was covered in horrible cuts and bruises but the airport staff did not make any apologies. Instead, they said that his dog got injured due to a fall from a platform and they had to use some force to restrain him.
Source: shanghaiist
The concerned owner immediately rushed the dog to the vet for treatment when his vet informed him that the dog sustained those injuries due to abuse. More unpleasant surprises were in store for the distressed owner because when the vet shaved off some fur from the dog’s body, they discovered several round wounds, which looks like it could be from a dart gun.
AsiaOne reported that the owner said, “I was extremely angry and disappointed. It feels like my own child has been hit while the perpetrators can stand there with authority and shirk their responsibility. I could not muster the thought and energy to argue with them and quickly sent Er Mao for an examination. Because its fur is long, it hid many of the injuries.”
Source: shanghaiist
The vet also said the poor pooch might lose its eyesight because of infection from his injuries, which further enraged the owner. Furious about the abuse of his dog, he demands an explanation from Tianhe airport and China Eastern airlines about the whole incident.
The incident went viral, with netizens calling out the airport and airlines to apologise and make amends.
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport has replied with statement defending their actions, stating that it was an emergency response measure.
They said, “In order to prevent the dog from running loose on airport runways or car parks, which could result in severe casualties, airport employees carried out restraining measures based on aviation laws and regulations.”
However, they still did not explain how the dog ran loose in the first place.
Poor little doggo! We hope the dog has a speedy recovery!
Also read: Dog Sheds Tears in Heartbreaking Video after Being Poisoned by Thieves
