Dog found in bag during airport screening angers pet lovers

More like a Rex-ray.

Thought last month’s airport “cat-scan” was ridiculous? Wisconsin Transportation Security Authorities were flabbergasted after a passenger sent their dog through an airport X-ray security machine. A tweet detailing Fido’s airport MRI is currently blowing up online as animal lovers accuse the owner of abuse.

“A dog was accidentally sent through the X-ray,” TSA Great Lakes tweeted of the ludicrous incident, which occurred this week at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison. Accompanying photos show an X-ray outline of an unidentified small brown pup which is crammed into a small backpack like a canine contortionist.

The owner of the dog had reportedly neglected to inform the screeners of her pet before putting the bag on the conveyor belt, reported ABC affiliate WISN in Milwaukee. However, the tweet didn’t specify if she was trying to intentionally smuggle the pup or had simply forgotten about the animal in her luggage.

Either way, the doggie-bag incident didn’t sit well with Twitter users, who accused the owner of animal cruelty.

“Come on…poor dog,” commented one aghast viewer, while another fumed, “That dog owner needs to be put in jail for treating her fur baby so cruel!!”

One appalled pooch-lover suggested that the TSA “put the owner through” the X-ray machine as punishment.

One commenter also accused the owner of trying to avoid the pet fee. “That is inhumane to carry a pet in a sealed backpack, which of course is not airline approved for carrying a pet,” they fumed. “Most likely they were trying to get past not having to pay the carry-on pet fee. Sick.”

Meanwhile, some appalled animal lovers ripped the TSA for not providing an update on the status of the pet.

In light of the accidental dog-scan, the TSA reminded those traveling with animals to “notify your airline & know their rules.”

“At the checkpoint, remove your pet from the bag and send all items, including the empty carrier, to be screened in the machine,” the travel authorities explained.

They even posted a Twitter video instructing animal owners on how to properly travel with their pet. The public service announcement showed a passenger taking their cat out of the bag at security and bringing it through a metal detector, before putting it back in their pet carrier once they’d passed through the checkpoint.

The TSA also advised flyers who believe their pet may attempt to escape to “ask to speak with a supervisor before removing the animal.”

This might seem self-explanatory, however accidental pet smuggling occurs more often than people think.

In a similar incident in November, TSA agents discovered an orange cat poking out of a checked bag at JFK.