Christmas has been cancelled this week

I’m upset. The airline accepted my puppy for shipping.  VIP shipping, yet.  They literally took his crate from the hands of the breeder’s husband at the Minneapolis airport.

AND THEN THEY DIDN’T PUT HIM ON THE PLANE.

Thank goodness L, the breeder, called the airline to confirm that both puppies they shipped today (mine and a dog headed for another city) were on their way.  Because that’s when they told her, well, we didn’t really get that little guy on the plane.  The airline gave her a  tale about there being “too much cargo” on the plane or something – although I’m damned if I can see how one tiny puppy and his plastic crate could overload a commercial jet. I suspect some ramp rat was sneaking a smoke break or something instead of tending to business, and the pup was left off the plane by negligence.  But we’ll never really know.

Because bad weather’s moving in up there and they were making noises like the later flight might get scrubbed, L called her hubby who was on the road headed home and told him to turn around, go back to MSP to get the pup and bring him home.  A four hour drive to South Dakota.  Where a serious snow storm is moving in as we speak.  Blizzard warnings are in effect for their area, according to weather.com.  I pray they have a safe drive home this afternoon and evening.

I am so disappointed.   It will probably be another week now before I get to bring my puppy home.

UPDATE on Friday morning:  L’s hubby went back to the airport and picked up the pup, but didn’t get all the way back home to SD last night.  Blizzard conditions, interstates closed.  He and the pup stayed overnight somewhere about an hour from home and will get home after the roads are reopened, which I hope is later today.

L told me this is the first time they have ever had to come back home with a puppy because of shipping problems.  I’m so glad that the pup is with someone he knows and not Lord knows where in whatever kennel accommodations the airline would have put him in if he had been left at the airport!  But just consider how much trouble the airline caused by accepting the puppy for VIP shipment and then not putting him on the flight.  What a mess.

And thanks to everyone for the good wishes about the new puppy, and the condolences on this setback.

MUCH LATER SECOND UPDATE:  The airline’s story to L’s husband when he went back to pick up the pup, was that the live animal cargo area in the aircraft was not heated due to a mechanical problem so of course they couldn’t load any animals into it.  There is no way to know if that was just a convenient cover story, or the truth.