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United: Flight attendant didn't know dog was in carrier

A family's puppy died on a flight to Houston from New York after a flight attendant asked the carrier be stored in an overhead bin

A United flight attendant that asked a passenger to put her puppy inside an overhead bin didn’t know there was a dog in the carrier, the company said in a statement Wednesday.

The statement comes a day after news broke that Catalina Castano’s French bulldog puppy, Kokito, died on a flight from New York to Houston.

In the company’s statement, United said “our flight attendant did not hear or understand her, and did not knowingly place the dog in the overhead bin.”

More: United Airlines apologizes after family dog dies on flight

The Harris County District Attorney's Office issued a statement on the incident Wednesday evening.

"The Animal Cruelty Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office is working with law enforcement partners on the Harris County Animal Cruelty Taskforce to investigate this incident. After law enforcement concludes their investigation, we will review their findings and make an appropriate decision based on the applicable law and facts. At this time, no charges have been filed and our office will not make any charging decisions until the investigation is complete. All criminal charges are based on probable cause and, as always, we will conduct a thorough analysis of the investigative findings before making a charging decision. We’ll review the evidence and apply the law.”

Castano was traveling with her 11-year-old daughter and 2-month-old when the flight attendant told her to put the carrier in an overhead bin because it was obstructing the aisle. Castano’s husband, Brayan, said they’ve traveled with their Kokito numerous times and never head that request.

Kokito barked for 30 minutes after takeoff, Brayan said, but the flight was unusually turbulent and no one could get up to check on the dog.

More: What kills animals on planes? Heart failure, anxiety among culprits

United said it takes full responsibility for Kokito’s death.

The company said that beginning in April it will begin issuing bright colored bag tags to customers traveling with pets in the cabin.

“The visual tag will help our flight attendants identify pets in-cabin,” the statement said.

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