Airline Suggested Passenger Toilet Flush Emotional Support Hamster, Woman Claims

As airline passengers push the limits of what animals they can bring on planes with them, one woman was allegedly told by an airline employee to violently dispose of her beloved hamster. Belen Aldecosea, a 21-year-old college student who tried to bring her hamster Pebbles on a plane to Florida, claimed she had to flush the rodent down an airport toilet to board her flight, the Miami Herald reported.

According to Aldecosea, she was told by Spirit Airlines that Pebbles would be able to board the plane without a problem, twice. The dwarf hamster was supposedly certified as an emotional support animal and Spirit acknowledged in statements to the Herald that someone incorrectly told her Pebbles would be allowed on the plane.

However, when she arrived in Baltimore on her way to Fort Lauderdale, she said she was told differently. According to Aldecosea, someone from Spirit said she could flush Pebbles down a toilet. Spirit told the Herald that did not happen, but the damage was done; Aldecosea took the hamster into an airport stall and actually did it.

This came after a car rental did not work out. According to the Herald’s report, further delays on her trip home were not advisable because of a medical problem. Now, Aldecosea may sue Spirit over what she claimed to be misleading information from company representatives that led to this emotionally devastating decision.

Airline passengers have raised concerns in recent years over what some view as exploitation of the concept of an emotional support animal, with a recent story about an “emotional support peacock” coming to mind. However, Aldecosea adopted Pebbles when she felt she needed company after she discovered a potentially cancerous growth in her neck. According to Aldecosea, she brought the doctor’s emotional support certification for Pebbles to the airport.

The TSA notably will accommodate small animals like hamsters, but as the Herald pointed out, individual airlines are less lenient. Spirit Airlines, specifically, will only allow dogs, cats and small birds on its flights, according to its customer service website.