Elvis the 1-year-old Labrador retriever steals his owner's GoPro, and a hilarious chase ensues. Animalkind, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON â€" One helicopter company is promoting taking your dog for a ride above New York City for Instagram worthy photos with your four-legged best friend. But two Democratic Senators say it is likely animal cruelty.
Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Bob Menendez, D-N.J., in a letter Sunday criticized FlyNYON, which offers open-door helicopter flights for a photo experience after the company promoted that it allows passengers to bring their dogs on the flights.
The company was raising money for Pilots N Paws, an organization that finds volunteer pilots and plane owners to help provide animal transport for shelter or rescue missions. To promote the partnership, FlyNYON posted a video that shows a harnessed dog riding with a passenger in the helicopter that had no doors. The video was on their YouTube channel but has since been removed.
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Schumer and Menendez claim that the promotion is trying to "bait more people to purchase those dangerous doors-off flights."
“Strapping in dogs for dangerous doors-off flights over New York is just totally repugnant; another disaster in waiting," Schumer said in a statement.
The Democratic Senators have previously slammed the company, which has been under federal investigation. A helicopter, which was operated by Liberty Helicopters for FlyNYON, crashed in March 2018 that left all five passengers dead.
Schumer and Menendez also claim that allowing dogs to fly in the helicopter is a cruel use of animals and might break other laws.
In addition, the lawmakers claim that the helicopter company is "using a legal loophole to skirt stricter safety standards that are mandated for other helicopter companies that transport people in the metro-area."
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“The FAA has an obligation to make sure tourist chopper flights are either operated safely or grounded," Menendez said in a statement. "The idea that passengers and their pets are being strapped in and dangled out of open doors hundreds of feet above ground without strong safeguards in place is astonishing, downright cruel for the animals, and a tragedy waiting to happen.â€
FlyNYON in a statement said that they are "fully compliant with all FAA operating and safety standards."
"The facts are simple," the company said in the statement. "Today, we are focused on raising money to help these animals and their human partners that are on the frontline of supporting recovery efforts like those of hurricane Dorian, not trying to score political points."
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