Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Air Canada acknowledged that a company spokesperson made "inappropriate comments" to a news outlet reporting on a woman's dog that was lost by an airline employee.
On Monday, the TV station CBS Sacramento aired a story about a local woman, Jutta Kulic, who received word that Air Canada had lost an Italian Greyhound, named Larry, after she left the dog in its crate to be put on a flight. The dog had belonged to Ms. Kulic's friend, who had passed away. Ms. Kulic promised to find a home for Larry, and was shipping him to that new home in Canada. An employee took Larry out of his kennel for a break before the flight took off, and the dog escaped, according to an earlier statement from Air Canada.
When CBS enquired about the incident, it received a statement from Air Canada saying it was looking for the dog. When the reporter sent follow-up questions about policies for pet handling, it received a dismissive e-mail from spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick. That e-mail was meant for a colleague.
"I think I would just ignore, it is local news doing a story on a lost dog. Their entire government is shut down and about to default and this is how the US media spends its time," the e-mail said.
CBS reported on the follow-up e-mail as well, creating a PR headache for the airline and attracting much greater attention to what started out as a local story.
When reached for comment, Mr. Fitzpatrick declined to answer further questions on the record. In an e-mailed statement, the company said that "Air Canada has been providing the best available information to media on this matter."
The statement also said that the airline will review what happened in this case, and continues to search for Larry. The company reiterated that when it learned Larry had escaped, it contacted the owner immediately. Search efforts have involved cargo and airport staff, and the company has asked local animal rescue groups to help as well. It has put up posters and "broadly alerted the airport community" about the search, it said, adding that there have been sightings and the airline is "optimistic" about finding the dog.
As to Mr. Fitzpatrick's inadvertent e-mail to CBS, the company said that the response was "inappropriate."
"Air Canada acknowledges inappropriate comments were made in response to a reporter's follow-up questions for additional details regarding Larry. However, Air Canada has been providing the best available information to media on this matter," the e-mailed statement said. "These comments do not reflect Air Canada's standards or professionalism, and do not refer to the search for Larry by Air Canada employees which is ongoing."