By Nina Golgowski PUBLISHED: 00:59 EST, 21 September 2012 | UPDATED: 07:38 EST, 21 September 2012 Maggie Rizer's two-year-old golden retriever Bea was healthy and prepared for her flight across the country, according to the doting dog owner who says she took every precaution to ensure the dog's safety. So when the model, her husband Alex Mehran and their 10-month-old son Zander landed in San Francisco from New York earlier this month, the last thing they expected to hear was that one of their two dogs didn't make it. 'We drove to the dark cargo terminal and on arrival in the hangar were told simply, “One of them is dead” by the emotionless worker who seemed more interested in his text messages,' Maggie wrote in a heated web post on Thursday titled: 'United Airlines Killed Our Golden Retriever.'
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Bea, the couple's two-year-old dog, died of heatstroke while aboard the United flight according to an autopsy report
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Owners say they paid $1,800 in addition to their plane tickets to transport their two dogs on United's PetSafe programme
'We understand that the loss of a beloved pet is difficult and express our condolences to Ms Rizer and her family for their loss,’ @placeholder told PEOPLE in a statement.