Delta Airlines pet ban leaves Vancouver dog stranded in Indiana

A Vancouver woman had to leave her dog in Indianapolis because Delta Airlines wouldn't allow it on her return flight.

Shirley Naf flew to Indiana at the beginning of March, paying $1,000 for her round-trip flight and $200 for her dog Ryder to travel in the luggage hold.  

She also had to fill out pages of paperwork, get him certain shots and the proper-sized carrying kennel.

Naf said there weren't any problems with the airline when they flew out of Vancouver, but when she went to the airport last week to come home, the Delta agents told her Ryder would not be allowed on the flight.

"They said you cannot take your dog back, and I go, 'Why?'" and she says, 'Because we have a pet embargo between May 15 and September the 15th,'" said Naf.

Summertime pet ban

The Delta Airlines website says the airline does not carry animals during the summer because it can get too hot in the hold for them.

"Delta has placed an embargo (a stoppage) on accepting pets as checked bags during hot weather. Extreme heat (85 F or 29 C) during the summer months can put animals in a life-threatening situation on board our aircraft. The embargo is in the best interest of the pet," says the website.

But Naf said nobody told her anything about the policy.

"At the time that I booked the flight, nothing was said about a pet embargo, that I couldn't stay longer than May the 15th," she said.

"I asked her, why wasn't I told at the time of booking? She goes, 'It's your travel agent's fault.' I talked to my travel agent. She said she never knew anything about it."

After being contacted by CBC News, a Delta spokesperson said a message has been left with Naf to try to find a solution.

Meanwhile, Ryder remains in the care of an Indianapolis kennel, at a cost of $35 a day.

Naf said she misses Ryder, who is a Rhodesian ridgeback-Labrador retriever cross.

"I've been raising him, he's my companion. I have nobody else in my life, besides my dog," she said.