Commercial Airline Pilot Diverts Flight to Save Dog

The pilot of an Air Canada flight diverted the jetliner in order to save the life of a dog who was held in the plane's cargo area, reported Monday's publication of City News. Simba, a French Bulldog, was on board the flight which had departed from Tel Aviv...bound for Toronto.

Thanks to the astute pilot who noticed a problem with the heating system in the plane's cargo hold, Simba did not freeze to death on the lengthy flight over the Atlantic Ocean. Rather than risking the dog's life, the pilot decided to divert to Frankfort, Germany. Once on the ground, the crated dog was removed and placed onto another plane to continue his journey...much to the relief of his grateful owner who told City News, "It's my dog, it's like my child. It's everything to me."

The unexpected diversion added time to the passengers' travels, and it was costly - an estimated C$10,000 in fuel was used because of the change of plans, but the priceless "cost" of one dog's life made the detour worthwhile.