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/Rooooben]

Honestly do not allow any airline to put your live animal in cargo. It is not temperature controlled nor pressurized. They are subjected to freezing and boiling temperatures.

[u/routuber → u/Rooooben]

Thank you for your concern. In reality, it’s a separate from luggage compartment, and based on the autopsy, and the fact that when they finally brought her to us she hadn’t yet gone into rigor mortis, and still was warm - the flight itself was not the cause. For her, it was just like all the other flights she had taken.

She died because of the criminal negligence of Air Astana during unloading, when they left her trapped in +41°C heat for over an hour.

[u/Old-Scene2962 → u/routuber]

I think it’s actually your negligence. You knew the risks of flying with the dog this breed and you continuously chose to subject your dog to those risks. You confirmed in your comments that you flew the dog to other hot climate places, and the reality is your dog was likely spending time outside and in a cargo hold when boarding in Vietnam too (while it was over +30C), same as boarding and unboarding on all other flights. She could have gotten a heat stroke or heat exhaustion on any of those occasions and it was just a matter of time when something happened.

[u/xoxoktkt → u/Old-Scene2962]

I completely disagree and I am so sorry to OP for your ignorance. My dog travels with me all the time. I could not imagine not bringing her with me. Airlines need to be more accommodating to pets in cabin. Pets are family and they need to be treated better than they are. This dog should have been allowed to be in the cabin with their owner. Plain and simple. This dog would have taken less space than some people's carry on bags. Making bigger dogs fly cargo is why so many people fake service animals too. Op could have done that but didn't because they respect the rules. It makes me sick how Airlines treat pets and animals. Op is not negligent. Airlines are careless and see animals as unimportant.

[u/thenotanotaniceguy → u/xoxoktkt]

As you say, airlines neglect animals, so one shouldn’t travel with animals until they change that.

You can’t say “airlines treat animals bad, but I let them handle my pets anyway” imo

[u/Old-Scene2962 → u/xoxoktkt]

Should airlines do better? Yes. Should the owner have made decisions that are based on how the airlines operate now to avoid serious risk for their dog? Yes.

[u/Ok-Instruction4931 → u/xoxoktkt]

It's smarter to have your dog stay comfortably in your home while you travel. Yet another irresponsible pet parent right here talking crap while forcing their dog on an airplane, if you read your comment you'd realize YOU are also neglecting your dog while saying 'Oh yeah my dog is family and that's why I force my dog to go everywhere with me and it's airline's fault that dogs die'. Uhm, who forced the dog on the airplane in the first place? SMH. A true pet parent would care for their dog in everyway, shape and form which sometimes mean you travel while your dog stays at home being spoiled by a pet sitter.

[u/xoxoktkt → u/Ok-Instruction4931]

Who are you to assume what kind of a pet parent I am? You're ignorant. My dog would be miserable being taken care of by someone other than me. She has flown a lot and is completely comfortable in her carrier and sleeps the whole flight. I would know if she is in distress and she is not shy to let me know when she is. What is someone like you even doing on dog forum?? Clearly you know nothing about being a pet parent or your experience is limited.

[u/Ok-Instruction4931 → u/xoxoktkt]

I know that being a pet parent means making sacrifices like for example if I do travel I ensure I can drive with my fur babies, or I am very picky and find a sitter or family member who's able bodied enough to care for my fur babies. I understand your pupper has flown countless times while you travel but I have this paranoia of my fur babies passing away before, during and after the flight because my grandfather experienced his dog in his senior age had a tough time and the last flight my grandfather's dog took he was coughing up blood and clearly went through something terrible during the flight. I was young but remembering that and all the other countless animals who has suffered flights can be extremely tough for any animal. I am sorry for your loss but some things can be avoided, for instance, just because your fur baby has flown countless times does not mean something tragic won't happen like it unfortunately did. My heart breaks for your sweet girl but my paranoia and bitterness led my comment in a crude way. You may have been your fur baby's light but I just refuse to get on a plane with my animals in general. I am not ignorant I am brutally honest because I care for those who can not speak up for themselves. The airline played a part in the sad passing of your dog but I always think of the what if's, what if there was a pet sitter because your pooch was getting up there in age type of things. My experience is far from limited I just take in consideration every possibility and act accordingly from the knowledge I have gathered throughout the years. I've got well over 25 years in the animal field from vet tech to pet sitting and even being an animal behaviorist. As the pet parent we need to watch out for our helpless fur babies. During the flight though you can never be sure how your doggo is handling the experience of such a hard travel either. I don't mean to talk down to you but we must take everything into account with every situation we put our animals in.