Flight Attendant Notices Sick Dog on Board and Rushes to Help, Breaking the Rules

When a passenger’s beloved dog falls into a medical emergency mid-flight, the cabin crew jumps into action to save its life by breaking the rules.

Air travel to some is rarely a breath of fresh air, and to one family aboard the Jet Blue flight 330 in the July of 2018, it was literally one.

Michele and Steven Burt took the Jet Blue flight to Worcester, MA, with their three small dogs. The couple assumed all their pups would be safe with them in the cabin, but it wasn’t until Michele noticed one of their dogs acting strangely.

Darcy, their 3-year-old Frenchie, looked perfectly healthy and fine while boarding the flight. Or that’s what her parents, Michele and Steven, assumed.

Darcy was a healthy pup with no underlying issues they knew, so the couple mistakenly assumed she would be safe with them and placed Darcy in her carrier beneath their seat as the flight took off.

A few moments into their flight, the couple noticed that Darcy was acting pretty weird and showed signs of distress. She was restless and pushing her face against the mesh on the carrier. It looked as though she was trying to escape.

Assuming that the doggo was just a bit agitated, Steven commanded her to lay down. Darcy would generally be an obedient pup, but she refused to listen this time.

Crew members Renaud and Diane realized it was time to break the rules and go against their flight policy to save the little pup’s life.

The couple then realized something was wrong with her as she kept pushing her face against the mesh.

Michele thought Darcy was feeling a bit warm inside, so she immediately unzipped the carrier, allowing Darcy to poke her head out slightly.

At this point, she noticed Darcy’s tongue and gums had turned blue. Michele had known previously that French bulldogs on flights are prone to breathing difficulties and took the matter seriously.

She immediately pulled Darcy onto her lap and tried to calm the pup down and regulate her breathing. But Darcy’s condition worsened with time, and she wouldn’t stop breathing frantically.

Just then, one of the flight attendants approached the Burts to remind them of the flight policy of keeping pups contained in their carrier.

Michele explained Darcy’s emergency and how urgently she needed help, leading to an incredible and daring rescue mission to follow.

Crew members Renaud and Diane realized it was time to break the rules and go against their flight policy to save the little pup’s life.

They first brought ice bags to place around the dog’s body, but even this didn’t help as Darcy was still having respiratory distress. With no other options coming in handy, Renaud, who also had a French bulldog named Penelope, had an idea.

He rushed to retrieve a portable oxygen tank and a small mask. He wrapped the mask around Darcy’s face, and within the next few minutes of receiving oxygen, the pup regained her agility.

Within minutes, Darcy was so alert that she started pushing the mask off her face—a far cry from the restless pup she was a few moments earlier.

Eventually, Michelle’s message to the airlines became viral on social media for reminding people of the importance of paying close attention to all passengers, including pets.

After reading her story, several people flooded the comments section on Facebook with over 3K likes and lots of applause for the two flight attendants.

“Thank you to the two flight attendants for helping. Animals are family, just as people are. God bless you!! ❤️” wrote Jamie Beno.

“These flight attendants have shown there need to be exceptions to a protocol in times of emergency,” user Heather Carman commented, adding:

“Pets are family and are living beings as well. These attendants are heroes, in my opinion.”

Michele left no stone unturned in her heartwarming message to thank Renaud and Diane for showing up on time to save her panicking pet.

“Renaud Spencer and Diane Asher were the helpers today...Goodness and kindness along with the ability to assess a medical crisis, albeit a canine in crisis saved the day,” she recounted.

Sharing his experience with Good Morning America, crew member Renaud claimed he’d never seen “anything like this” in his 15 years working for an airline.

“I decided that we needed to consider using oxygen to support the animal,” he stated, adding:

“So, I called the captain, and I told him, ‘I think I need to use some oxygen,’ and he said, ‘Go ahead.’ And right then and there, placed the oxygen on the dog, and the dog revived like nothing else.”

Michele stated that Darcy made a full recovery from the terrific event. She also planned to consult her vet about Darcy’s episode and how she could better care for her if they ever intended to take a flight together in the future.

“But I wanted to say thank you, Jet Blue, and thank you to Renaud and Diane for doing their job and also being great humans,” she concluded.

If you liked this story, here’s a touching story of a firefighter who adopts the dog he rescued from a fire after owners decided to put him down.

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