After an airline worker asked that an emaciated dog be taken to the vet, instead of getting loaded on a plane, the concerned employee was fired on the spot, MyNews4 reports.
Lynn Jones, who worked for a baggage handling company at Reno-Tahoe International Airport, told the news outlet that she was horrified when she saw a dog who had sores on his body and appeared to be starving. But when she repeatedly asked her supervisor to consider getting the dog help, Jones says she lost her job.
"Everyone who saw it, the TSA people, the Airport Police officers, the girls at the ticket counter, was concerned," Jones told RGJ.com. "The dog was so weak and torn up. It didn't look like it could survive the flight."
Despite the pointer's visible injuries and poor health, Jones' supervisor insisted that Jones be the one who was shown the door.
"You're done. Go home," Jones' boss said, according to MyNews4.
Though Jones was kicked to the curb, she raised enough awareness for the airport police to get involved. The police called in Washoe County Regional Animal Services, which took custody of the dog, according to RGJ.com.
Airport Terminal Services, Jones' employer, released the following statement following the incident:
"ATS takes this situation extremely seriously and commends this employees situational awareness and her desire to raise the concern on behalf of the canine involved..."
An investigation has been launched, but Jones told RGJ.com that when she called about the status of her job, she was told that she didn't have one because she had "abandoned" her post.