Man From Cartagena Removed From Plane With Assistance Dog

Europe's Air Traffic May Not Return To Normal Until 2029

Europe's Air Traffic May Not Return To Normal Until 2029. CREDIT: Photo by Yassine Khalfalli on Unsplash

A man from Cartagena and his emotional support dog were removed from a plane.

A MAN from Cartagena and his emotional support dog, who were heading to the Canary Islands to offer a presentation about medical assistance dogs, were removed from a plane.

La Provincia reported that Conesa, who suffers from diabetes, and his emotional support dog, Sheldon, travelled to Madrid from Cartagena via train, passing all of the relevant controls and with Sheldon wearing his purple ‘Medical Assistance Dog’ vest. Conesa had all of the documentation needed to board the plane and faced no issues when passing through the boarding gate. “They didn’t put any problem on me either,” said Conesa.

However, after getting into the queue and waiting to board the plane “The stewards and the pilot told me in very bad ways that the dog could not travel with me,” Conesa explained.

He tried to explain to the pilot that Sheldon had the relevant permits to travel in the cabin with his owner and “with all the legal guarantees,” the pilot still denied access to the assistance pet despite having a reserved seat. “I finally decided to leave the plane to avoid problems,” he said.

Conesa said that he was “frustrated” by the continuous attacks on his dog, suffering “practically daily” due to ignorance on the matter. Because of this, he wants to publicise the importance of the role of alert or medical assistance dogs through various means such as billboards and flyers. He has even set up The Sheldon Running Club, which also serves as a fundraiser for other diabetes patients in need.

The Cartagena citizen reported what had happened at Madrid Airport to the Guardia Civil offices.


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Written by

Laura Kemp

Originally from UK, Laura is based in Axarquia and is a writer for the Euro Weekly News covering news and features. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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