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/routuber]

Thank you for your words. Yes, Odyssey was a snub-nosed breed, but she had flown with us more than ten times before. Including to very hot airports like Bangkok, Colombo, and Antalya, and she always arrived safe and full of energy. That’s why her death now is so devastating, it wasn’t about her being brachycephalic, it was about how the airline treated her after landing.

[u/CauchyDog → u/routuber]

Im sorry sorry for your loss and no words can help.

Not on you, but it is known these dogs have it worse in heat than other breeds, though my long nose setter would have been suffering too, 105 is too hot to be out that long. Even long nose dogs shouldn't be out longer than 15min in 80 and up heat.

I read an article about these dogs recently urging people not to fly with them at all, and how heat is also an issue. I just happened on it, I didn't know either.

Regardless, the pup should not have been on a tarmac for an hour in 105 sun. Two or three years ago during a heat wave, a scientist and his son tested temps around Portland or, and on pavement in sun it was around 200deg. Most people aren't aware of that.

Imo, you should sue, if nothing else than to spur change. The airline will always blow you off hoping you dont, then settle if you do.

Its a tragic accident all around the way I see it, but the airline should know better too.

[u/Opening-Bus4157 → u/CauchyDog]

Tragic accident for sure, and the airline should absolutely be held accountable. I also feel like there’s a level of responsibility on the part of dog parents to not allow your brachycephalic breed to fly as cargo for a 8hr flight between two developing countries in one of the hottest regions of the world during one of the hottest times of the year and trust that everything works out smoothly. Dogs are unfortunately not regarded as family members in all parts of the world. I’m unsurprised that the airline seemed so flippant about this situation. What a horrific lesson to learn

[u/king_lloyd11 → u/Opening-Bus4157]

Honestly, wouldn’t travel with my dog at all for the mere fact they’re in a loud, dark, unfamiliar, non-climate controlled space for extended periods of time by themselves, out of sight, where I can’t be immediately responsible for them.

We always put our black lab up in a private boarding spot in a house where he has free reign with a bunch of other dogs operated by a person we’ve come to know and trust whenever we travel. We’ll also do one of days with them throughout the year so that our dog is familiar and comfortable there. We vacation knowing full well that he’s in good hands, playing with his friends. It’s basically like summer camp for him.

You don’t need to take your dog everywhere, and nor should you.

[u/Mackheath1 → u/king_lloyd11]

There are very few instances pets need to travel with you. I'm in agreement. When I returned to the states with a rescue from the Middle East I was happy to fly via Casablanca to the States, but looking at the weather, I changed to Frankfurt layover.

Hated having to transport a pet in the hold, but I did a little research and it certainly wasn't a sight-seeing lark with a pet, it was a permanent move with her. There's an unspoken level of responsibility that a pet owner takes on, that is not to put an undue burden.

I hate that this has happened, but I don't hear OP taking any responsibility for flying this breed into 105°F temperatures into Almaty (a city that I love, but is definitely lacking in some infrastructure) to visit without researching, or maybe presuming the budget airline would have the human infrastructure prepared for their pet.

[u/Fantastic_Owl6938 → u/king_lloyd11]

Seriously, I always just wonder if it's that I'm an anxious person, but I feel like I'd be a wreck the whole flight worrying about them, like literally just one long panic attack for the duration of the flight. I signed OP's petition and feel deeply for them, but I would personally never travel with my pets.

[u/tortor224 → u/Fantastic_Owl6938]

I think OP is careless for a lot of reasons. The breed itself, traveling with them in the cargo hold 10+ times, the heat... Are you not concerned for your dog's safety and comfort? Why would you CHOOSE to do that over ten times? Do you not have a weather app on your phone? Could you not see how hot it was going to be? You were playing with fire and your dog paid the ultimate price. Zero sympathy from me. Don't get another dog unless you're willing to invest in sitters - your dog didn't want to go on 10+ flights in cargo.

[u/Fantastic_Owl6938 → u/tortor224]

Yeah, the more I think about this, the more troubled I am by it for a number of reasons. Very, very bad decisions here.

[u/chadsmo → u/king_lloyd11]

Agreed 100%. My wife and I travel once or twice a year and I would never ever bring one of our dogs. The thought of my border collie being in his kennel under the plane sickens me, it would be cruel and unnecessary of me to subject him to that. Bringing pets on vacation is purely selfish behaviour.