An obese dog was wheeled on to an American Airlines flight
and treated like a king first-class style this week, as onlookers stood by,
amazed at the pampered pooch's size.
The dog, named Hank, then sat in the front row of first
class on the LAX flight on Saturday, with his owner, Kari Whitman, an interior
designer who founded Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue in Beverly Hills, California.
Due to an illness, Hank, who is Whitman's support animal,
has gained weight and can only move with the aid of his luxurious,
pillow-topped cart.
A fellow passenger of the flight out of Los Angeles took a
photo of the dog and uploaded it to Twitter under the username @madeleinedoux.
The photo has been retweeted more than 4,200 times.
Hank seems indifferent in the photo, as several American
Airlines employees gathered around to admire the dog and take photos.
It appears that this isn't Hank's first flight, however, as
there is an Instagram for the dog, @hankthetank, that shows him traveling with
his owner.
On the feed he is seen at Denver International Airport,
lying next to his padded cart, and in another photo Whitman took a selfie with
the pooch while in the air, captioned, 'Hank flying first class from Denver to
LA'.
In an interview with Mashable, @madeleinedoux said it
appeared that Whitman had bought two first class tickets on the LA flight - one
for her and one for Hank.
“Everyone, both while boarding the plane and on the plane
before takeoff, was speculating as to how the dog got so fat,” she said. “You
could legitimately hear hushed whispers of "He's riding first class.”
The traveler added, however, that Hank stayed quiet for the
entire flight and spent most of his time on the floor in front of his seat.
A very large dog named Hank was wheeled on to a an American
Airlines flight on Saturday as onlookers admired his size
Hank, who is a support dog for interior designer Kari
Whitman (right), rode in the front row of first class alongside his owner
Hank has an illness that limits him to his wheeling bed. He
appears to travel regularly with Whitman, who bought two tickets for the LAX
flight on Saturday
In the Denver International Airport earlier this year,
several fellow travelers gathered around Hank to take photographs
