Dog’s life saved by flight crew with oxygen mask on JetBlue plane

The owner of a French bulldog who experienced distress on a JetBlue flight is crediting some quick-thinking flight attendants for saving her dog’s life.

Darcy, a 3-year-old French bulldog, was on a JetBlue flight from Florida to Massachusetts on July 5 with her owners Michele and Steven Burt. The Burts were traveling with their three small dogs, as they have for years without incident. Darcy was in her carrier under the seat in front of them when she began showing visible signs of distress.

Michele Burt took her out of her carrier and noted that Darcy’s tongue and gums were beginning to turn blue and she was having difficulty breathing. After Burt explained the situation to flight attendants Renaud and Diana, they quickly came to Darcy’s aid and treated her for hypoxia, a lack of oxygen that can be deadly. They brought back a small oxygen tank and placed an oxygen mask over Darcy’s muzzle. Soon, Darcy’s breathing returned to normal.

“I placed the mask over her face, and within a few minutes she became alert and after a short time she didn’t want the mask,” Burt wrote in an open letter to JetBlue, which was shared by the Facebook page The Everyday Jumpseater. “I believe Renaud and Diane saved a life, some may reduce the value of the life because Darcy is a canine, I do not.”

Renaud, who has a French bulldog himself, spoke to ABC’s “Good Morning America” and said he had never experienced anything like this in 15 years of being a flight attendant. “The dog started panting very rapidly and uncontrollably, and so as a French bulldog owner myself, I knew the dog was overheating,” he said.

First he brought bags of ice to help cool Darcy down, but when that didn’t work, he asked the captain permission to administer oxygen.

“We all want to make sure everyone has a safe and comfortable fight, including those with four legs,” JetBlue said in a statement to ABC News. “We’re thankful for our crew’s quick thinking and glad everyone involved was breathing easier when the plane landed in Worcester.”

“Darcy has made a complete recovery,” Burt wrote in her letter. She added that she will get her vet’s clearance before flying with Darcy again.

We’re thrilled Darcy was saved by the compassion and training of JetBlue’s flight crew!