I was searching around the internet and came up with this site. I really just want some advice on how others feel about this situation.

I was flying from Virginia to LAX with my two dogs. Normally I would never consider it, but I moved from Virginia to California and this seemed to make the most sense. I thought it would be easier on them than a 5 day road trip.

When I first contacted Quik Pak I was reasonably assured that animals receive special treatment, however at National the check in was just the baggage dept and he admitted to me he had never checked in a dog before. He took over three hours just to do the paperwork (he had to keep calling a supervisor for instruction) and we missed the flight. I had to pay Super Shuttle (expensive) to take myself, my daughter, and the two dogs in kennels to a Motel 6 (the only one that would take the dogs). We were told we could go the next morning. That could not happen as there were human remains on that flight and we had to wait 24 hours to take the same flight the next day. Again, another ride on Super Shuttle and paying an extra day in the motel as it was an evening flight.

I followed every instruction to the letter. They both had ice as requested, as well as USDA health certificates.

A thunderstorm blew in and we sat on the runway for an hour and forty minutes. During that time it was horribly hot where we were with no air or lights as the pilot was conserving fuel. I cannot imagine what it was underneath and I could hear my dogs crying. Horrible.

When we arrived in Houston, we happened to be sitting over the cargo hold door. We saw them take out one kennel and throw it (empty) into the back of a truck. The other with our 1 yr old went in a van to Quik Pak.

My dog had broken out of her kennel. We ran to Quik Pak and found our 1yr old in his kennel with not a drop of water. The heat must have been unbearable. I was told I could not go out and call her(she would have come to me) due to Federal Regulations. They chased her for an hour and when finally caught and put in her kennel, she was covered in blood. Her feet were burnt and bleeding and she had suffered a heat stroke. I do not understand why they could not have driven me out to get her. She may have lived.

She was taken to a local animal hospital and died two hours later. Her body temp was 106 when she was brought in, and was not moving and not using her back legs at all. The vet informed me that had she survived she would have been most likely brain damaged.

The first person I spoke with seemed sympathetic, however the person they gave me to who would be handling this was very short with me, and she seemed to act as if it were no big deal. This has been very distressing as I loved my dog and the airline seems to act as if she was a piece of luggage.

They really have offered little as to any kind of compensation- emotional or otherwise and I am in a quandry as to what to do. I thought maybe if I posted here, someone might have some suggestions on how to deal with this. I am not the type of person to go running to an attorney, yet I really feel that this whole event and my contact with Continental since could have been handled much better. A little compassion would have gone a long way

I would love your thoughts.
Thanks