There's no shortage of stories about heroic dogs that save lives — from a pooch that performed CPR to one that alerted its family about a house fire. But even pups need saving sometimes, which is where JetBlue flight attendants Renaud Fenster and Diane Asher come in.
In a letter written to JetBlue, Michele Burt shared the story of how Fenster and Asher went above and beyond their line of duty to help Burt's three-year-old French bulldog, Darcy.
Burt explained that she has flown with her pets for years without any issues, but her flight from Orlando, Florida, to Worcester, Massachusetts, on July 5 was a different story. Darcy, normally a very obedient dog, wasn't responding to commands to lie down during the flight, which is when Burt decided to check on her.
Burt immediately noticed that "her tongue was blue." Knowing that this is a sign of insufficient oxygen (Hypoxia), she "pulled her out from under the seat and placed her on my lap to cool down and help her relax."
Darcy was breathing heavily and visibly panicking.
Though airline policy is for pets to stay under the seat and inside their carriers, flight attendants quickly understood that something was wrong with Darcy. Within a couple of minutes Fenster and Asher arrived at Burt's seat with bags of ice to help calm the dog down.
When that didn't work, Fenster— who has a French bulldog of his own, Penelope — suggested an oxygen mask. Burt wrote, "within a few minutes she became alert and after a short time she didn't want the mask ... I believe [Fenster] and [Asher] saved a life."
JetBlue responded with this statement: "We all want to make sure everyone has a safe and comfortable flight, including those with four legs. We're thankful for our crew's quick thinking and glad everyone involved was breathing easier when the plane landed in Worcester."
Burt ended her letter by confirming that Darcy "has made a complete recovery."
She said, "I wanted to say thank you JetBlue and thank you to [Fenster] and [Asher] for doing their job and also being great humans."
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