An Air Canada pilot is being commended for diverting the flight in order to save the life of a dog who had been placed in the plane's cargo hold.
The dog, known as Simba, a French bulldog, was on Air Canada Flight 85 from Tel Aviv to Toronto when the pilot noticed a problem with the cargo zone's heating system, according to Canadian News site City News.
Rather than risk the dogs life on the lengthy flight over the Atlantic Ocean, the pilot decided to divert the flight to Frankfurt, Germany where the dog was removed and placed in another plane to continue its journey.
"As soon as the crew became aware of the temperature issue, the captain grew rightfully concerned for the dog's comfort and well-being," Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick told CNN. "With the altitude it can become very uncomfortable, and possibly the situation could have been life-threatening if the flight had continued."
While the diversion caused a 75 minute delay, as well as costing Air Canada an estimated $10,000 in plane fuel, the overall reaction to the pilot's decision was positive, according to Examiner.
Simba's owner, German Kontorovich, was grateful saying: "It's my dog, it's like [my] child. It's everything."
One passenger echoed the praise saying: "It was definitely the right thing to do."
Aviation expert Phyl Durby also believes the pilot made the right call.
"If you look at the outside temperature, if it's minus 50 or 60, there is some insulation but it will probably still get down to below freezing [in the cargo area]," he said.
"The captain is responsble for all lives on board, whether it's human or K-9," he concluded.
