It has been several years since United Airlines suspended its PetSafe program, the shipping program that allowed pets to fly through cargo. Other airlines do offer pet travel services through cargo, but for those living in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the impact of the suspension isn’t limited to owners looking to travel with their furry companions to the U.S. Advocates say it also has ramifications for the animal population on these islands, which has led them to call on United to revive the program.

“United is the only domestic airline serving both islands. So while foreign carriers are willing to fly pets, cabotage laws become a limiting factor,” said Lauren Cabrera, president of the board of Guam Animals in Need and founder of the Saipan Humane Society. 

Concerns with the animal population on Guam and the CNMI, and the fate of pets abandoned on these islands, have even resulted in a Change.org petition for United to reinstate PetSafe. Started on March 29, 2022, the petition has garnered more than 20,500 signatures. 

However, it appears the policy will remain unchanged for now. United spokesperson Charlie Hobart told The Guam Daily Post on May 20 that the airline is still unable to offer PetSafe in Guam and other service areas, partly due to the elimination of certain necessary components, including veterinarians on contract and designated animal relief areas. 

Although United allows owners to fly with cats and dogs in-cabin, this is not allowed for several states and countries. Pets are not allowed to fly to, from or through Hawaii, Guam and the CNMI, except from Guam to Narita International Airport in Tokyo but not back to Guam. Hobart said they don’t allow customers to fly in-cabin with pets to Hawaii due to state rules about animals.

Guam Del. James Moylan, acting on concerns from constituents, wrote to United CEO and President John Scott Kirby on May 23 about the airline’s pet travel policy for Guam and asked for reconsideration.

Around the same time that Moylan wrote his letter, a group of animal welfare activists in Saipan gathered at the grounds of the Saipan International Airport to protest the lack of animal shipping services from United. According to the Marianas Variety, the demonstration was organized by Boonie Babies Rescue, an animal rescue organization founded by two sisters in Saipan.

Grace Keilbach, one of the sisters, told the Variety that if new homes are not found for their pets, owners leaving the island abandon their dogs or place them at the Saipan Dog Control Program animal shelter where they are euthanized if not adopted. And there isn’t much interest in adoptions on Saipan, Keilbach told the Variety.

The situation applies to Guam too. According to Cabrera, pets are being left behind on Guam and the CNMI, where they add to the stray population, or families struggle financially with the cost of transporting their pets.

While there are ways to fly pets out of Guam and the CNMI to the states without PetSafe, such as through chartered flights, pet shippers must pay high costs to rent a plane, and it is very challenging with few planes flying in the region and with flights being intermittent and unpredictable, according to Cabrera.

A veterinarian who spoke to the Post under the condition of anonymity said she had to euthanize four dogs on Guam because a family wasn’t able to find a home for them on the island or secure a flight for them off Guam. 

The family secured flights for two other pets, while the four dogs were part of a large litter of puppies that the family took in, according to the veterinarian. The family managed to find homes for all the litter, except the four dogs. She said she informed the family that she only euthanized animals with a poor quality of life or with dangerous behavioral problems but offered the family some options – a chartered flight, the Guam animal shelter or fundraising online.

The veterinarian said she checked with the owners a week later as they were about to fly out of Guam with their two other pets. The family was planning to take the four dogs to the shelter, where they would have been euthanized due to being fearful of people outside the family, the veterinarian said. 

Faced with the situation, the veterinarian said she agreed to euthanize the dogs at her clinic despite still feeling frustrated and conflicted so that the dogs would at least be surrounded by family when it happened.

Brandi Miatke, an active duty U.S. Army veterinarian, said was able to take eight animals with her to the states but not without some stress and expense.

Although United no longer offers PetSafe or pet cargo travel to the public in general, the airline still offers cargo travel for cats and dogs for U.S. military members and State Department foreign service personnel traveling on assignment between Guam and Honolulu. 

Owners eligible for this program are allowed up to four pets on a flight from Guam to Honolulu, which is what Miatke used to transport four of her animals. The rest were shipped through a chartered flight to Hawaii, where they stayed several weeks before taking other flights to their final destination. This took place in 2021 and transport for all eight animals cost about $10,000, according to Miatke.

She said the experience was extremely stressful, expensive and very hard on the animals. She considered herself lucky that she could afford the travel after saving for more than a year but added that without being in the military, her pets would have been stranded. 

Cabrera said it was sad to see the situation happening in the region.

“It is hard to be helpless in this situation. We see many animals suffer due to this pet shipping moratorium.  I hope we can work together for a solution. I know United wants to do good. I suspect they just don’t understand the impact of the pet shipping moratorium on so many innocent animals and their families,” Cabrera said.

United’s PetSafe program was initially suspended in 2018 while it underwent review, according to Hobart. The program was relaunched several months later with new restrictions in place to better ensure animal safety and well-being, he added.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic would soon be on the horizon. By March 19, 2020, United suspended all international PetSafe service, which was followed by the suspension of all domestic service on March 25 of that year, Hobart said. 

While the program remains offline for the public for the reasons Hobart cited, the Post also asked if United was working to reinstate the program and when it would, if that could be estimated. Hobart said he didn’t have more to share at that time regarding plans to resume the service.

As for why United can offer pet cargo travel for certain military members and State Department officials traveling between Guam and Hawaii but not the public, Hobart said United has limited space and infrastructure in place to ensure the safety and comfort of these animals and would need to expand that considerably to meet requirements for larger-scale transportation.

Moylan, in his May 23 letter to United’s president and CEO, said it seemed “relatively unfair” that everyday residents are denied the opportunity for pet travel provided to those in the military. He also referenced issues getting drug detection dogs on Guam due to United’s pet travel policy. 

“Island residents have very limited options when it comes to travel into the lower 48, as well as Hawaii and Alaska, as UA is the only option for the most common routes. Hence, we do hope that your organization can reconsider your travel policies for pets to give Guam residents some flexibility,” Moylan stated.

Miatke said any airline servicing Guam should open pet shipping to everyone, regardless of being a civilian or in military service. 

“Charter services are extremely expensive and hard to come by, but airlines should strategize with the government and animal rescue groups currently working with charter services to explore viable options for charters to become a reliable resource for pets that cannot fly commercial due to pet limits, breed, etc.,” Miatke said. 

The veterinarian who wanted to remain anonymous said families need to be able to fly pets not just on reassignment but at any time. United’s current policy prevents nonmilitary families from moving with their pets and limits the number of pets military families can move, she added. Chartered flights are cost-prohibitive and infrequent, and Guam will continue to see numerous pets abandoned and euthanized until United opens its cargo space to all pets, the veterinarian said.

Guam lawmakers did appropriate funding some years ago to help address the island’s stray animal population through spaying and neutering and other initiatives. 

Miatke said she believed Guam and CNMI governments could allocate more funding and develop better strategies to address animal overpopulation on both islands.

“Spay and neuter clinics are a start. However, there’s a huge demand for more animal control officers and stronger, more detailed animal ordinances. It’s important to abolish backyard breeding, dog fighting and irresponsible pet ownership to include animal abuse, neglect and abandonment,” Miatke said.

Access to veterinary care is also in high demand, she added.

“Overall, a solid long-term strategy to address the multiple issues is essential or the animals on these islands will continue to suffer. I believe part of the solution is for the island governmental bodies to reach out to the airlines on behalf of the animal rescues who are tirelessly working to increase flight resources,” Miatke said.  

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