Short-snouted breeds accounted for roughly half the purebred dog deaths on airplanes in the past five years, according to Transportation Department (DOT) data.
At least 122 dog deaths have been reported since the DOT started requiring airlines to start making such information public in 2005, according to the AP.
English bulldogs "account for the single highest number of deaths among the 108 purebreds on the list," representing 22 of the deaths. Pugs were in second place.
Dan Bandy, chairman of the Bulldog Club of America’s health committee, tells AP short-snouted breeds face a particular risk in being transported in the cargo holds of airliners. He explained:
"The way all dogs cool themselves is basically through respiration, either just panting or the action of breathing in or out, is a method of heat exchange for them. A dog that has a long snout or a long muzzle has more surface area within its nasal cavity for that heat exchange to take place.”
Adam Goldfarb, director of the Humane Society’s pet risk program, says short-snouted breeds have "problems breathing and with air flow. It’s [flying] a stressful experience for a dog. They are in a crate, [in] a small enclosed area. There are new smells. Then the plane takes off and it’s an unsettling experience. And [there is] the noise."
Some airlines go so far as to prevent short-snouted breeds from flying as cargo during hot periods of the year.
By David Wilkening
