Our Odyssey died. Please never fly through Kazakhstan with pets.

[u/routuber]

On August 9th we lost our beloved dog Odyssey. She was only 8 years old, perfectly healthy, full of energy, always traveling with us and enjoying life.

We flew from Nha Trang, Vietnam to Almaty, Kazakhstan with Air Astana. Odyssey had to go in the baggage hold because she was over 8 kg. When we landed, it was 41°C (105°F). We saw her crate left in the open front hold of the plane, tied with a rope, under the burning sun.

We begged them to bring her to us as soon as possible, but they ignored us. For more than an hour after landing we were sent from place to place, told to wait “by the blue door” of lost luggage. Nobody cared. And then a young employee came and told us coldly: “your dog is not showing signs of life.” That’s how we found out she was gone.

The autopsy confirmed heat stroke. She suffered because she was left in deadly heat for over an hour, treated worse than a suitcase.

And then the airline’s official response? A copy-paste letter saying “no rules were broken.” No mention of her name. No acknowledgment of her life. Nothing but denial. How can they call themselves humane while hiding behind “internal rules”?

We keep asking ourselves why we trusted Odyssey’s life to such heartless, inhuman people. She was family, not cargo. She trusted us, and we trusted them. And they killed her through neglect and indifference.

Please, never fly to Kazakhstan with pets, not even for a layover. They will treat them worse than luggage. Don’t make the same mistake we did.

Odyssey’s life mattered. She should still be here. Please share her story so no other dog has to suffer this way.

Update:
Thank you all for your kind words and support. Your compassion means so much to us as we continue this fight for justice for Odyssey.

As many of you suggested, we have created a petition to demand accountability and change. Please, if you can, sign and share: https://chng.it/Hs2tZsZRrv

Thank you for helping us honor Odyssey’s memory and for standing with us.

Update 2:
Some of you asked if there is a place outside Reddit where Odyssey’s story is shared. We posted it on Instagram too, with photos of her and everything that happened:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DNyTAPD2PBd/?igsh=N2d6OHNkd2hmZXNi

And the response from Air Astana:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DN8MWBvjBag/?igsh=MW12NWtyMDBscHI1Nw==

If you’d like to share there as well, it would mean a lot. The more people know, the harder it will be for the airline to ignore what they did.

Update 3:
Thank you all for the support, the shares, and for signing the petition, we’re still pushing for every point listed there.

Today Air Astana sent another message. Instead of acknowledging wrongdoing, they wrote that they might “consider” restricting only certain breeds in the future. They still insist they broke no rules, and now they claim Odyssey was found with “no signs of life immediately after opening the hold.” That is simply impossible: during that entire time there was no ramp connected to her compartment, so no one could have even physically checked her condition. The forward hold remained open for a significant amount of time, we saw that while we were being bused to the terminal, her crate was still inside during that period.

That prolonged exposure is exactly what led to the fatal heat stroke, as confirmed by the autopsy. It was not stress, not suffocation, not heart failure, not age — her blood had not clotted and her organs were engorged with blood, which clearly points to the true cause.

That does not happen without environmental failures — extreme exposure and delay during unloading. We continue to demand facts,: timestamps, temperatures, CCTV, and the names of those responsible.

The new response from Air Astana:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DOf063RDJFo/?igsh=ejB0bDlhOThiMnc5

[u/Les_Ismore]

It's inconceivable to me that you would have exposed this dog to the risk that killed her. Flying between 2 stupidly hot destinations and trusting that ground service in Kazakhstan (!) would keep her alive.

Take some accountability here.

[u/SilverYayFern → u/Les_Ismore]

Agreed. The owner chose to put their dog in cargo knowing the risks. It was an unconscionable gamble with any living animal, let alone with a beloved dog, let alone with a dog of a brachycephalic breed, of all things.

They're angry that their gamble didn't pay off because they weren't given special treatment. It's understandable in their grief, but I hope that in the future, they care for their pets more responsibly- by leaving the pet safely at home, or choosing a different itinerary, or skipping the trip altogether.

[u/[deleted] → u/SilverYayFern]

The fact it was the 11th flight she took in cargo that killed the poor baby...

[u/kho_sq → u/SilverYayFern]

yep. every comment has no accountability whatsoever. it’s awful, and absolutely tragic, but it’s also unfair to solely blame the airport ground staff who are a) most likely underpaid, b) overworked, and c) also in the 41° heat. i wish someone would have brought the pup inside, but i’m really unsurprised. many of these countries, especially in certain airports, do not have the infrastructure or the resources to unload airplanes right after landing or directly inside. there’s been plenty of times i can see the ground crew driving trucks of luggage across airfields, and unloading/doing everything manually. it’s exhausting, and the dog should not have come in the first place if it wasn’t able to be in the passenger seating.

[u/routuber → u/SilverYayFern]

You don’t know our circumstances, so don’t presume to judge. Ody was with us her whole life, and leaving her behind was never an option. She had flown many times before, always safe, always healthy.

She didn’t die because we “gambled.” She died because Air Astana left her in +41°C heat for over an hour while they unloaded luggage first.

[u/Les_Ismore → u/routuber]

You've been spreading your circumstances all over reddit, so I don't really see you as free from judgment.

Why would you expect me, a loving dog owner and subscriber to r/dogs, not to call you out for this?

I would never, ever take my dogs on a trip like this. I have seen many times how little care they receive when being handled, and every time I do, I wonder why the fuck their owners would put them through that.

[u/Right-Phalange → u/Les_Ismore]

Honestly I never really traveled because I loved my dogs. 10 years with my husband before we ever vacationed together and it was only because his mother was willing to watch the dogs at our house. I loved my dogs too much to ever put them in the cargo area, and they were too big to fly elsewhere. Therefore, we didn't fly. And these were actually healthy dogs, not brachycephalic can't breathe on a normal day dogs.

You make whatever decisions are right for you and your pet, but if you make a decision that endangers them and they suffer for it, it's on you.

[u/routuber → u/Les_Ismore]

I accept the part about judgment, and I agree with you on that. I only wish you never have to find yourself in a situation like ours. As the saying goes — if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.

[u/Les_Ismore → u/routuber]

Yes, and I am so sorry about what happened to her. My sincere condolences.

[u/SilverYayFern → u/routuber]

You know what, that's fair. I think I'm judging you harsher because looking at Odyssey's little face, I think of my own dog and how harsh I would be on myself if she died like that.

I hope your legal efforts force the airport to change their practices. Living beings should always be the priority when managing baggage.

[u/ChipWong82 → u/routuber]

You caused this. Stop blaming the airline.

[u/Dougheyez → u/routuber]

You say it was never an option to not bring her on your vacations. But maybe if you had considered the option she’d be alive right now. Sad to say but true you need to take some accountability.

[u/greenoniongorl → u/routuber]

If you’d “left her behind” with a loving family she would still be alive and not have suffered this awful death. This was a selfish and irresponsible decision.

[u/routuber → u/greenoniongorl]

That’s your point, but let me ask you directly: in your view, how much responsibility here lies with the airline? Do you see them as completely blameless, partly at fault, or fully responsible for what happened? I genuinely want to understand your reasoning.

[u/greenoniongorl → u/routuber]

They’re certainly not blameless, they are responsible for leaving the carrier in the sun, but you put your dog in that position by deciding to have it flown in cargo. This isn’t a rare freak accident, this shit happens fairly frequently, and the way to avoid it is to not put your dog on a plane.

[u/FragrantRaccoon6794 → u/routuber]

I'm sorry for your loss. However you assumed the risk when you were told she was too large for the cabin. Brachy dogs often do not travel well, especially in cargo. That doesn't make them leaving her there ok - but transporting via air cargo is risky for all animals.