Originally published 2022-01-21.
In July 2018, on a JetBlue flight from Orlando to Worcester, Massachusetts, a French bulldog named Darcy began struggling to breathe in her carrier. Her tongue turned blue. Two flight attendants, Renaud Fenster and Diane Asher, first tried to cool her with ice and then brought a small oxygen bottle and mask. Within a few minutes Darcy was alert again, and she landed safely. Her owner’s thank-you post went viral, and the story is still a useful lesson for anyone flying with a flat-faced dog.
What happened on the flight
Darcy’s owners, Michele and Steven Burt (her first name appears as Michelle in some reports), were travelling home from Florida with their dogs in carriers under the seats, as cabin pet rules require. Not long after take-off, Michele noticed Darcy was in trouble. In her account, the dog was panicking and breathing frantically, and her tongue had turned blue, a sign Michele recognised as a lack of oxygen.
She took Darcy out of the carrier and onto her lap to help her calm down and cool off. Renaud, the flight attendant who first came over, initially asked for the dog to go back under the seat, which is the standard cabin rule. Seeing how serious the situation was, he called his colleague Diane. The pair tried ice packs first. When that did not help, Renaud, who owns a French bulldog himself, returned with a portable oxygen bottle and mask.
Michele held the mask over Darcy’s face. According to WFTV in Orlando, which spoke to her after the flight, the dog became alert within minutes and soon no longer wanted the mask. By the time the plane landed in Worcester she was recovering, and one of the attendants posed for a photo with her.
The thank-you post and JetBlue’s response
Michele later posted publicly to thank the crew, saying the two attendants had done their jobs and been “great humans” at the same time. She added that some people might value a dog’s life less than a person’s, but she did not. The post was widely shared, including by The Everyday Jumpseater, a Facebook page popular with flight crews:
JetBlue praised the crew. The airline told reporters it wants everyone on board to be safe and comfortable, “including those with four legs,” and thanked the attendants for their quick thinking.
Did the crew really risk their jobs?
Many retellings said the attendants “violated protocol” and put their jobs at risk to save Darcy. That framing is not supported by what was reported. The crew did ask, at first, for the dog to go back in her carrier, which is the normal rule. But nothing in the coverage shows that using a cabin oxygen bottle for an animal in distress broke a specific policy, and JetBlue’s public reaction was praise, not discipline.
A fairer summary is that two crew members used judgement in an unusual situation, with the equipment they had, and their employer backed them. That is a good story on its own, without an invented threat of dismissal.
Why French bulldogs struggle to breathe
Darcy’s emergency was not a freak event. French bulldogs, along with English bulldogs, pugs and Boston terriers, are brachycephalic breeds: they have been bred for short, flat faces. That shape often comes with narrowed nostrils, an elongated soft palate and a narrow windpipe, a combination vets call brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS).
Dogs with BOAS can breathe reasonably well at rest but run into trouble when they are stressed, excited or hot. They cool themselves mainly by panting, and an obstructed airway makes panting less effective. Stress raises the breathing and heart rate, which makes breathing harder still, and the cycle can turn dangerous quickly. Blue or purple gums and tongue (cyanosis), loud snoring breathing, collapse and vomiting are warning signs.
A crowded airport, a small carrier, unfamiliar noise and a warm cabin before the air conditioning kicks in are exactly the conditions that strain these dogs. That is why snub-nosed breeds have a higher risk of dying during air travel, and why many airlines refuse to carry them in the hold at all.
If you fly with a flat-faced dog
Every dog is different, and the right plan depends on your pet’s health. The most important step is to talk to your vet well before you travel. Useful questions and precautions include:
- Is flying a good idea at all? For a dog with noisy breathing or a history of breathing episodes, driving or leaving the dog with a trusted carer may be safer.
- Check the airline’s rules. Policies on breeds, carrier size and number of pets per passenger vary, and many carriers restrict brachycephalic dogs in the hold.
- Get the dog used to the carrier at home, so it is a familiar place rather than a source of panic.
- Do not sedate without veterinary advice. Some sedatives can relax the airway and make breathing problems worse.
- Keep the dog cool in the terminal and on board, and choose cooler times of day for summer travel.
- Know the warning signs above, and tell a crew member straight away if you see them. Early help matters.
Some dogs with severe BOAS benefit from corrective surgery to widen the nostrils or shorten the soft palate. Whether that is appropriate is a decision for a vet.
Why the story resonated
Part of the appeal is simple: a small dog, a blue tongue, an oxygen mask and a happy ending. But the story also touched on something bigger. Flight crews are trained for human medical emergencies, not animal ones, and they work under strict rules about the cabin. Here, two people saw a frightened passenger and a struggling animal and found a way to help.
The Burts saw it as a reminder that kindness is not reserved for humans. For other owners of bulldogs and pugs, the episode is also a practical reminder that their dogs’ breathing deserves careful planning every time they travel.
Sources: WFTV, July 2018: JetBlue crew members help dog with oxygen mask; Wikipedia: Brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome; earlier coverage by Majestic Animals; Facebook post via The Everyday Jumpseater.
COMMENTS