Disabled Veteran Accuses Airline Of Animal Cruelty And Verbal Abuse

by Jessica Festa on



Paws and Stripes founder and disabled veteran Jim Staneck had a very disturbing experience with United Airlines in Virgina’s Dulles International Airport. According to Staneck, not only did staff ask him if he was “retarded,” they also kicked his service dog, Sarge.

The incident occurred during a hectic time, when there were a lot of flight cancellations and delays. After spending 48 hours in the airport, Staneck approached a United Airlines’ staff member to ask for help. The veteran suffers from a brain injury that makes it difficult for him to concentrate under stress, and was having trouble understanding the new itinerary.

“He said, ‘Just read it,’ and I said, ‘Sir I can’t read it,’ and he said, ‘What are you retarded?'” Staneck recalls. “Prior to this I told him I have a brain injury and PTSD, I’m a disabled vet, this is my second night here; I need help.”

To hear Staneck’s side of the story live, check out the video above. It’s also worthwhile to go through the comments left under the video on Life With Dogs, as it appears many are trying to rally a ban of United Airlines until all guilty parties are fired.

What do you think?

Two Men Detained At US Border For Carrying Chocolate Eggs

by Jessica Festa on

In the past year, there have been stories of travelers getting in trouble for painting their nails on flights, telling jokes on Twitter and traveling with baked goods. The most recent scandal in the world of surprising travel crimes, involves two men trying to cross the border from Canada to the United States with chocolate eggs.

During a trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Brandon Loo and Christopher Sweeney decided they wanted to bring treats back home to friends and family in Seattle, Washington. They decided on Kinder Eggs, chocolate eggs containing small toys inside. Unfortunately, the surprises ended up getting the men detained at the border.

According to CBC News, because children can choke on the toys inside the eggs, they are illegal to bring into the U.S. Moreover, travelers who decide to attempt to bring them into the country could incur a hefty fine. In 2011, there were over 60,000 Kinder Eggs seized from travelers’ luggage and international mail shipments.

In the end, the men were only detained for a few hours, getting off with a simple warning.

Will you be traveling on an airplane, and want to know what you shouldn’t bring? Check out these strange items prohibited by the TSA.

[Image via Matanya]

Passengers Horrified At Needles Found In Their Airline Food

by Jessica Festa on

And you thought your worst airline meal nightmare was getting runny eggs or stale bread? Passengers onboard four different flights from Amsterdam to the United States on Delta Air Lines were horrified to find sewing needles in their turkey sandwiches.

In total, six sandwiches were found to have needles, including two separate flights to Atlanta, one to Seattle and one to Minneapolis, where the passenger was injured but declined medical attention.

According to News.com.au, the meals were made by Gate Gourmet to be given to business class passengers on Delta flights. Christina Ulosevich, Gate Gourmet’s spokeswoman, has stated no other airlines operating out of Amsterdam have filed similar complaints. The company is launching their own personal investigation into the matter. Moreover, Delta is adding extra security to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

The airline stated, “Delta is taking this matter extremely seriously and is cooperating with local and federal authorities who are investigating the incident. Delta has taken immediate action with our in-flight caterer at Amsterdam to ensure the safety and quality of the food we provide on board our aircraft.”

[image via Andrei Dimofte]

Emaciated Hiker Found After Over A Month Missing In Utah’s Escalante Desert

by Jessica Festa on

After not being heard from in over a month, missing hiker William M. LaFever, 28, has been found. He was spotted by a helicopter flying over the Escalante River gorge, where the bearded man was discovered sitting in a shallow river in the Escalante Desert with nothing more than his pants, shoes, underwear, shirt and a lighter. LaFever had been trying to make his way from Boulder, Utah, to Page, Arizona, on foot, and had lost 50 pounds subsisting on nothing but frogs, roots and river water.

Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, LaFever had called his father on June 6 or 7 to tell him he was hiking with his dog. He had hoped his father would send him some money to help with the journey. Although LaFever didn’t have a car, his plan was to follow the river until he reached Lake Powell, where he wanted to catch a boat. Unfortunately, the 50-mile desert trek was a lot more difficult than LaFever anticipated.

The hiker was both obsessive compulsive and autistic, the latter giving authorities a clue of his whereabouts. They guessed he might be near the river, after hearing how those with autism are often drawn to water. However, according to officials, LaFever is very lucky to have been found. Although he had camping experience and was in a popular hiking area, he had strayed about 30 miles from where trekkers usually go.”We had no idea if William had stayed along the river, or decided to leave, or got a ride with someone, or was lost somewhere other than along the river,” Garfield County Deputy Ray Gardner told CNN. “We flew along it without any expectation of finding anything at all. The conditions would have to be just right too; unless he was out in the open there was no way we would be able to find him.”

LaFever is currently in stable condition; however, he will remain in the hospital until his strength returns. His dog is still being searched for, although reports are being investigated that he may have been found.

[Image via Big Stock]

Tourists To Blame For Tori The Orangutan’s Smoking Habit

by Jessica Festa on




For those who haven’t heard of Tori, she is Satwa Taru Jurug Zoo‘s famous smoking orangutan. While many people may believe the primate’s habit stemmed from workers in this Indonesian animal park becoming bored or looking for publicity, the truth is it’s the tourists that are the enablers.

Fifteen-year-old Tori has been smoking for over 10 years. She learned the habit by watching visitors who would smoke, then toss lit cigarettes into her cage. It also doesn’t help that everyone cheers Tori on as she puffs away. To help Tori kick her smoking habit, workers are moving her to a different zoo, away from cigarettes and those who may give them to her.

This isn’t the first time Indonesian zoos have had trouble with misbehaving visitors. In March, for example, a giraffe died at Surabaya Zoo after ingesting 40 pounds worth of plastic that had been throw into its enclosure. Moreover, Indonesia is one of the only countries in the world where there are few limits on tobacco selling and marketing. It’s no surprise one-third of the country’s population are smokers. This still, however, doesn’t excuse the act of pushing bad habits onto animals.

To see the smoking primate in action, check out the video above. Hopefully, she will be able to quit completely.