Passenger: Airline Had Her Flush 'Support' Hamster Down Toilet

HANOVER, MD — A woman planning to fly from BWI Airport to Florida says Spirit Airlines had her flush her emotional support hamster down a toilet. While the airline has emphatically denied the claim, the story has sparked conversation on social media, the unhappy customer who says she was traumatized has retained an attorney, and airlines are tweaking their policies for what can be deemed a service or emotional support animal.

Belen Aldecosea, a 21-year-old college student living in Philadelphia, had a ticket to fly to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to have doctors remove a large growth from her neck. Her worries over her health had prompted her to get a hamster, named Pebbles, for comfort. She says that she had the correct paperwork deeming the hamster an emotional support animal, and called Spirit Airlines in advance to check that the rodent could fly. She says she was given approval, but Spirit employees at BWI refused to let her board with Pebbles. A distraught Aldecosea says one Spirit worker suggested she either let the hamster loose in the cold, or flush it down a toilet, which she reportedly did as a more humane option.

The incident took place in November, her attorney, Adam Goodman says, but he just made it public recently. Aldecosea and Goodman are considering filing a lawsuit against Spirit Airlines. "We want to make sure that airlines follow protocol and airlines are allowing people who have medical issues to deal with those medical issues," said Goodman.

Spirit moved Aldecosea to a later flight as she tried to resolve the hamster's fate, but little could be done, her attorney said.

"She didn't really have a lot of options at the airport because she lived two hours away. No one was able to get to her. And she's not old enough to rent a car," Goodman told FOX Baltimore. "The whole situation is just sad, all the way around. I think it's sad that this happened. I think it's sad of how the airlines handled it."

Spirit spokesman Derek Dombrowski told USA TODAY that "at no point did any of our agents suggest this guest (or any other for that matter) should flush or otherwise injure an animal. It is incredibly disheartening to hear this guest reportedly decided to end her own pet’s life."

The airline's policy online for traveling with animals spells out that it does not allow snakes, other reptiles, rodents, ferrets or spiders on aircraft, he said.

Airlines need to understand the importance of emotional support animals, and not provide customers with conflicting positions on their policies, said Goodman. “This is a really tiny, small innocuous animal that doesn’t cause problems. Really, the airlines and TSA shouldn’t have given her any problems about it if she had the appropriate medical documentation,” he told NBC News.

An "emotional support" peacock named Dexter was turned away from a flight at the Newark, New Jersey, Airport last month. According to reports, the owner tried to take the bird aboard a flight and even offered to purchase the animal its own seat. But United Airlines allegedly turned down the request, even when the woman said that the bird was an "emotional support animal."

"This animal did not meet guidelines for a number of reasons, including its weight and size," a United spokesperson told FOX News. "We explained this to the customers on three separate occasions before they arrived at the airport."

Dexter belongs to Brooklyn-based artist Ventiko, NJ.com stated. According to Dexter's Instagram page, the bird is a seasoned traveler and is a "rescue" that lives with two cats as roommates.

Emotional support animals are commonly used by PTSD sufferers and people diagnosed with depression or autism, among other conditions, according to the ESA Registration Of America.

Types of animals that can be registered as emotional support animalsinclude dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, ferrets, birds, monkeys, bearded dragons and pigs, Register My Service Animal, LLC states.

Emotional support animals do not qualify as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, some state or local governments have laws that allow people to take emotional support animals into public places, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

Patch Editor Eric Kiefer contributed reporting to this story.

Photo courtesy of BWI Airport