Dog left with lost baggage at Toronto Pearson Airport for about 21 hours
A Toronto woman says a dog she rescued from the Dominican Republic has been traumatized after being left in a corner of Toronto Pearson International Airport with baggage for about 21 hours.
Jena Butts had just spent three months in Puerto Plata, where she found and fell in love with a stray dog. She decided to bring the animal back to Canada and find it a good home.
Butts, along with the rescue named Winston and her own dog, arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday. At about 2 a.m. her dog came out—but Winston did not.
“(I) spoke to some of the baggage people as they were there and said ‘I’m still waiting for a dog.’ They told me there’s nothing else there,” she said.
Around 3 a.m. she was advised by a customs agent to go home and give the airline a call later, as there were no further staff around.
“I was very angry and I didn’t understand how nobody could be at the airport to help me find my dog,” she said. “This is a living creature.”
Butts spent the rest of the morning trying to contact the airline, Air Transat, to find out if Winston had even made it to Toronto or if he was still in Peurto Plata.
About 21 hours later, customs at Pearson airport spotted the crate.
“He was found in a corner with lost bags,” Butts said.
A customs agent had broken Winston out of his crate to give him water, Butts said, but the animal was still covered in urine by the time she got to him.
“He’s very traumatized,” she said. “I will definitely not be travelling with dogs for a while now.”
Jena Butts holds Winston after he spent about 21 hours stuck in his crate after a flight into Toronto Pearson International Airport. (Carol Charles)
Butts said she received an email from the company GTA dnata, a service provider for Air Transit at Pearson airport, apologizing for the incident and offering her a gift card as compensation.
“While there were reasons for the service failure that left you wondering about the whereabouts of your treasured pet, we can only assure you that we will take the necessary steps to ensure no other pet owner has to experience a similar situation,” Chief Executive Officer Antonio Alvarez wrote. “You entrusted them with your precious cargo and regrettably, we let you down.”
“As a dog owner, I can fully appreciate the anguish that our failure caused you and we would like to offer you a small token of compensation in the form of a gift card that you can use at your discretion.”
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Butts said she still has not heard from Air Transat directly. When reached for comment, the airline told CTV News Toronto they have requested a full investigation into the incident.
“We are deeply sorry that our client had to go through this stressful situation. We will contact them directly to provide the full details and offer compensation. “
Butts said she isn’t all together interested in compensation. What she wants the airline to do is create a better policy when it comes to the handling of live animals on their planes.
“I’m still very shaken up,” she said. “It’s hard to put my words together. There needs to be a procedure, better policies.”
“I feel like (Air Transat) could have handled the situation in a much better way and, you know, with a little bit more empathy because nobody seemed to care.”
She said that Winston was supposed to be taken to his new home the day he landed, but that has been postponed a day because of the traumatic experience.
Over the last few weeks travellers flying through Pearson airport have made complaints about lost baggage and delayed or cancelled flights. Photographs shows thousands of bags sitting idly in the baggage claim area, waiting for owners to come collect them.
One man told CP24 that he arrived in Toronto 16 days ago and was still waiting for his lost luggage.
The Greater Toronto Airport Authority cited staffing shortages, flight delays and cancellations and temporary mechanical disruptions as some of the reasons for the “challenges with baggage.”
With files from CTV News Toronto's Jessica Smith and Carol Charles
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Australian police arrest 7 alleged teen extremists linked to stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church
Australian police arrested seven teenagers accused of following a violent extremist ideology in raids across Sydney on Wednesday, as a judge extended a ban on social media platform X sharing video of a knife attack on a bishop that started the criminal investigation.