Air Canada Pilot Saves Dog's Life by Diverting Flight

An Air Canada pilot is being credited saving a dog's life by turning a plane around. 

According to an Air Canada spokesperson, flight AC085 was flying from Tel Aviv to Toronto on Sunday. Sometime after takeoff, the pilot was notified that one of the cargo hold heaters had malfunctioned and that the temperature was falling. 

"While a heater is not normally a critical component, on this particular flight there was a live animal in the hold," the spokesperson said. 

The captain of the flight was concerned for the dog's well-being. 

"With the altitude it can become very uncomfortable, and possibly the situation could have been life threatening if the flight had continued."

The pilot diverted the plane to Frankfurt so the dog could be placed on another flight. The plane was in Frankfurt for about an hour. 

The Air Canada spokesperson said the overall reaction was positive, especially once the 232 passengers were informed the dog was in a potentially deadly situation. 

"The flight arrived in Toronto about 75 minutes late, so most customers were not greatly impacted and we were able to re-protect those who did miss connectinos on other flights."

The identities of the pilot and the dog's owner have not been revealed.