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  • 👀 Buckle up! An airline for dogs just launched!

👀 Buckle up! An airline for dogs just launched!

Here's everything you need to know...

Author

Chris Equale
May 30, 2024

The first airline for dogs took its first flight. Here’s what you need to know…

There's an airline that's catering directly to dogs called Bark Air, and its first flight sold out.

According to CBS News, the maiden voyage flew out of New York and headed to Los Angeles with canines on board. Bark, the pet company behind the airline, first revealed its plans for Bark Air back in April.

Why now? What’s so novel about this?

The company wanted to make long-distance travel easier for dogs who can't fit under the seats on commercial flights.

"We are excited to take the insights we've learned over the years to create an experience that is truly dog-first, which is drastically different from just accepting dogs – from the ground to the skies," Bark co-founder and CEO Matt Meeker said in April. "We believe this initiative will elevate awareness of our brand's mission and values, introduce more dog lovers to the Bark family, and help enrich the lives of dogs and their people around the world."

Bark will offer its canine passengers "white paw service" where they can interact with other dogs and receive treats, noise-canceling ear muffs, a drink of their choice, and more. 

Can my dog and I fly anywhere?

In addition to flights from NYC to LA, dogs will have the option to fly out of London.

Each dog ticket will also come with one pass for humans and there's no restrictions on the size or breed of the pets. 

Ok… how much are we talking?

Tickets will come at a hefty price. A one-way flight from NYC to LA will run customers $6,000 for one dog and one human in June, while a ticket from NYC to London will cost $8,000. The company does expect prices to go down as the demand for the flights go up. 

"This is cost-prohibitive for most families, but less expensive than most options today. And this is also how most innovative products and services began," Meeker said. "Televisions, telephones, VCRs and DVD players, to automobiles, train and boat travel, and, yes, even human air travel — all of these started with very high prices until demand was proven and the costs could be brought lower by serving the masses."

With all of that being said, don’t take our word for it. Here’s a recap of the flight experience from Melanie Demi, travel content creator behind @herboozytails:

The dog behind the “doge” internet meme has died.

Pop culture took a massive hit this week. Kabosu, the shiba inu dog whose quizzical expression starred in an array of "doge" internet memes, has died, its owner said Friday.

A picture of Kabosu with a slight side-eyed look went viral around 2013 on Tumblr and various online chatrooms, before it became known as "doge," one of the most iconic and recognized images of the social web era.

The dog’s owner, Atsuko Sato, 62, a kindergarten teacher from the city of Sakura in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, confirmed the news in a poignant poem on her blog on Friday.

“At 7:50 a.m. I fell into a deep sleep,” she wrote. Sato said she would hold a farewell party for “Kabo-chan” on Sunday.

"She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her," Sato wrote, according to a translation by the AFP news agency. "I think Kabo-chan was the happiest dog in the world. And I was the happiest owner."

Kabosu's face has been featured in countless social posts and even became the face of a cryptocurrency. A non-fungible token, or NFT, of the image was sold in 2021 for $4 million.

Dogecoin paid tribute to the dog on X, saying she was a "being who knew only happiness and limitless love."

People would adapt the meme to comment on world events and pop culture news and even to attack political rivals.

In 2014 the public transport authority in Stockholm, Sweden, launched an advertising campaign using the doge meme, with captions such as "such cheap," "many summer" and "wow."

So proud is Sakura of its famous canine mascot that the doge image has been used on manhole covers and a bronze statue of Kabosu was unveiled earlier this year, paid for by donations from fans around the world.

Kabosu was diagnosed with leukemia and liver disease in 2020. Sato told the AFP in a recent interview that the "invisible power" of prayers from internet fans had helped her pull through.

“The Squeeze”: Dog News In 60 Seconds

Today’s Last Laugh:

Did someone step on a duck?

@__emilylunn

coming into my room to let out a fart like this is crazy