Home Sweet Home

Ah, California...don't get me wrong, Cambridge is a nice place to visit. I even learned to love the snow, uptight people, Haar-vaard snarkiness, and freaky dog rules. I especially enjoyed visiting children's hospitals the past month. Crazy lady would read from her Delores & Hannah series, and I would snuggle with the kids. But, there's nothing like coming home:I spent at least 2 hours sniffing the property, and warning Bambi away from the fence line. United did a wonderful job, this time-- they even gave me water and a bathroom break, when we arrived at SFO! Crazy lady suspects that the new animal policy is the reason for their excellent care. I suspect they feared the wrath of crazy lady. Regardless, it was an uneventful trip, and we're home!

United Airlines Evildom, Part 3

Here is United's second response to losing me at the airport, and crazy lady's campaign to improve airline travel for our pets:

"Your comments make it clear how much you care about your dog and I am truly sorry we weren’t as responsive to your needs and concerns regarding your dog as we should have been on this occasion. I can only imagine how upsetting this must have been for you. It was never my intention to negate the gravity of your concerns, my goal was to assure you that your feedback would be taken seriously and given the attention deserved. While we can’t change the circumstances you have shared with us, we can take action to ensure we are more responsive to those guests traveling with their pets. The detail you have provided as well as our internal investigation into your concerns has allowed us to see where we need to improve. We will use what we have learned to avoid a similar situation as well as to ensure we are more responsive to the needs and concerns of our guests and their pets in the future."

Crazy lady has learned from SFO management and the USDA that United has taken steps to improve their pet care policy during travel. They are proposing a better tracking method, to ensure animals are not lost during transit. SFO management has also told crazy lady that the United employees responsible for losing me at the airport have been "formally reprimanded." Crazy lady has promised to keep an eye on the policy changes, to make sure bureaucracy and politics don't prevent "positive change."

United Airlines Evildom, Part 2

United sent the following letter to crazy lady:

Dear...(blah, blah, blah)

"Please know that we are fully committed to following all Federal regulations for providing safe transportation to animals entrusted to our care. Each year thousands of pets fly with us with great success. I know air travel can excite animals, and we expect our people to be gentle and provide necessary care. We realize you are more upset with the way in which your concerns were handled. As our guest you have a rightful expectation to be treated with courtesy and respect. As well we expect all our staff to be attentive to your needs and sensitive to your concerns as well as to provide you with helpful, professional service at all times. There is never any excuse for rude and unprofessional service and I apologize to you on behalf of United for any unprofessional service you encountered that day even more so for the unnecessary worry you experienced. We are concerned about the behavior you have described and will make sure your feedback is shared with our Airport Operations supervisors in San Francisco. Rest assured your concerns will be taken seriously and that those employees involved will be made aware of the way in which they handled things was perceived.

... (more blah, blah, blah, 10% coupon)

Crazy lady is still very angry with United Airlines. She filed an official report with the USDA, the regulatory agency who oversees animal travel with airlines. We'll see what happens, next...

United Airlines is EVIL

United Airlines lost me at San Francisco Airport. Crazy lady went ballistic, but I was okay. I'm glad crazy lady is my protector, though. She put the incompetent fools at United Airlines through hell- especially since they refused to look for me, for over an hour! They kept telling her, "it takes a while for a dog to be unloaded" and "we're too busy, right now." When they (finally!) found me at a strange loading dock, they then refused to help load me into the cart. Again, "too busy." Crazy lady has been on the phone all morning, reporting the incident to various agencies. She wrote an excellent letter. Heads will roll.

The most important thing? I'm okay:
And, I'm back in California: