Report Details

Incident 1 Carrier: Alaska Airlines Flight: 62 (Sitka, AK to Ketchikan, AK) Date of incident: Saturday, May 4, 2013 Time of incident: Approximately 12:45 P.M. AT

Description of animal (including name): A German Shepherd dog, unknown age, sex, or name.

Narrative description of incident: Upon opening the forward cargo door Ketchikan ramp agents saw dog paws and immediately closed the cargo door to contain the dog inside. Agents contacted the dog’s owner and he was escorted down to the ramp to put a leash on his dog. As ramp personnel removed the kennel from the aircraft, they could see blood splatter on the metal door and also on the bottom of the kennel; both areas were now broken from the dog chewing and escaping from the kennel. Agents believe the blood splatter came from the dog’s mouth and paws; we were unable to verify the exact location of the injury.

Narrative description of the cause of the incident: A German Shepherd dog escaped its kennel, sometime during the flight, causing injuries to its mouth and paws. There is no evidence to suggest that the airline’s handling contributed to the animal’s injury.

Narrative description of any corrective action taken in response to the incident: No action required. No photographs available