Pugs, Bulldogs More Likely to Die on U.S. Flights

Bulldogs, pugs and other short-faced breeds are more likely than other dogs to die on airplanes, according to U.S. Transportation Department data.

In the past five years, 122 dogs have died on flights in the U.S., with about half of them short-faced breeds, which also include the American Staffordshire terrier, the agency said today in an e-mailed statement without offering an explanation.

“People, if they’re concerned, should check with their veterinarian before flying,” said Bill Mosley, a Transportation Department spokesman. Most of the dogs that died were being transported in cargo holds rather than in passenger compartments, he said today in a telephone interview.

About 2 million pets are transported each year in the U.S. by plane, according to the agency, which collects monthly reports of deaths, injuries and losses of pets in air transport. In the past five years, 22 pets other than dogs died in air transport, according to the data.

To contact the reporter on this story: Angela Greiling Keane in Washington at agreilingkea@bloomberg.net

Cody the Pug waits backstage during the first day of the 134th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York. Photographer: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images