Maggie Rizer's dog dies during flight

Model Maggie Rizer is mourning her beloved dog after it passed away during a cross-country flight.

The runway beauty's golden retriever Bea was found dead in the cargo hold when Rizer, her husband and son landed in San Francisco, California from New York on 3 September (12).

In a passionate post on her Bea Makes Three blog, Rizer alleges the two-year-old pooch was healthy and has blamed United Airlines employees for the dog's death.

She details how a staff member bluntly broke the sad news to her and wouldn't give her the dog's body, claiming it had already been taken to a veterinarian for a necropsy, an animal autopsy.

She writes, "Whatever thread of trust remained between us and United broke and we then insisted that she be returned to us for our own autopsy... Over the next two hours the supervisor's lie unravelled as it became clear that Bea was right behind a closed door the whole time and he had been discussing how to handle the potential liability with his boss who had left and sticking to the divert and stall tactic that they had been taught."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for United has extended condolences to Rizer, but adds in a statement, "After careful review, we found there were no mechanical or operational issues with Bea's flight and also determined she was in a temperature-controlled environment for her entire journey. We would like to finalize the review but are unable until we receive a copy of the necropsy."

According to Rizer, her vet's necropsy showed Bea died of heatstroke but "exactly what happened" could not be determined.