Dog Airline Conducts Its Maiden Flight

On May 23, the American dog airline Bark Air conducted its maiden flight. The flight travelled from New York to Los Angeles, and during the journey, dogs were allowed to sit on seats and freely roam the cabin, reports IFLScience. 

All 10 tickets for the first flight, intended for dogs and their owners, were sold out. However, the ticket prices are not cheap: $8,000 for an international one-way flight and $6,000 for a domestic flight. This cost includes tickets for both the pet and its owner.

For the inaugural flight, the plane’s cabin was specially prepared for dogs. The company used special pheromones, music, and colours to help the four-legged passengers and their companions relax. According to the rules, dogs must be on a leash only during taxiing, takeoff, and landing. At other times, they are free to move around the cabin. The company also advises human passengers not to applaud when the plane lands, as this could startle the dogs.

Bark Air was founded by the pet company Bark in April 2024. Representatives of Bark stated that the company's goal is to minimize the suffering of pets during flights. They call their services the “canine equivalent of first class.”

To better understand the experience of pets on a plane, Bark CEO Matt Meeker conducted an experiment: he undertook a four-hour flight from Florida to New York in a crate in the cargo hold.

Additionally, The Gaze reported on a curious incident in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where a seven-year-old Goldendoodle named Cecil ate $4,000 in cash. The money had been brought home by his owner, local resident Clayton Lowe, to pay workers for installing a fence. Returning home, Lowe placed the money on the kitchen table with the intention of hiding it later. However, before he could do so, Cecil quickly investigated the envelope and ate nearly all the $100 and $50 bills inside it.

After Cecil fell asleep, the owners called the vet to find out if they needed to bring him in for a check-up because he had swallowed a wad of cash. However, specialists reassured them that for a dog weighing 45 kg, unlike smaller breeds, such an incident posed no threat.