British Airways flies pet Labrador 3,000 miles in the wrong direction
Ruff day? British Airways accidentally flies pet Labrador 3,000 miles in the wrong direction to Saudi Arabia – as his owners jetted off to the US
- James and Madison Miller were relocating from Berkhamsted home to Nashville
- They arrived in US believing their Labrador Bluebell had been kept in the hold
- But airport staff greeted them with a mystery puppy as they went to collect her
- Couple were informed Bluebell has been mistakenly placed on flight to Riyadh
British Airways flew a young couple’s pet dog 3,000 miles in the wrong direction
James and Madison Miller, both 27, were relocating from their home in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, to Nashville in Tennessee with their black Labrador Bluebell on December 1.
They arrived in the US under the assumption their rescue dog had been kept safely in the hold during their long-haul flight from Heathrow.
But as they attempted to collect Bluebell from customs staff at an airport office, they were greeted with a mystery cockapoo puppy.
Black Labrador Bluebell (pictured) was mistakenly flown to Saudi Arabia instead of the US earlier this month
Instead of following them to Tennessee, Bluebell was placed on a flight to Riyadh.
Speaking to The Sun, Madison said: ‘When I walked into the office everyone went totally white.
‘The people at BA looked up what happened and I couldn’t believe it when they said, “well, we’ve sent your dog to Saudi Arabia”.
‘We wanted our Bluebell not a little golden dog.’
In total, Bluebell was locked up for 60 hours and only had a 20-minute walk and vet check in Riyadh after having to then make the 10,000-mile flight to Tennessee.
The couple also told The Mirror that their dog has been left ‘traumatised’ following the airline’s error and has since caused thousands of pounds of damage to their new home.
James added: ‘We simply cannot leave her alone. We did everything right moving Bluebell to America with us, and it’s been an absolute nightmare.
‘The first time we tried to leave her at home alone after the ordeal she ripped through her kennel in the first 10 minutes.
‘The next time she chewed through a wooden door crying the whole time. So now we can’t leave her – she could harm herself. Being apart from us is too traumatic for her.
‘We’re working closely with a vet team and behaviourist to help calm her anxiety, and she’s on anxiety medication three times a day. But we don’t know if she’ll ever be the same. It’s breaking our hearts.’
The couple are demanding that BA pays for Bluebell’s medication and rehabilitation.
Madison said: ‘It’s been a 24/7 ordeal, she cries in the night and during the day. It has broken our hearts as her parents. She is our family and we let her down.
‘We’ve paid $3,000 (£2,460) dollars for a behaviourist, and she takes anxiety medication three times a day. I’m afraid of the costs of this. They’ll be wracking up hard and fast.
‘I don’t know when this nightmare will end for us.’
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