Airline Winner at Dog’s Day in Court

NEW YORK — A dog may be man’s best friend, but in the eyes of the law, he’s merely baggage.

So declared a Manhattan federal judge, ruling this week that the 1988 death of a 2 1/2-year-old golden retriever that died after more than an hour of 140-degree heat in an American Airlines cargo hold did not entitle his owner to more than the $1,250 maximum liability for damaged cargo.

Andrew Gluckman, then 17, said he was forced to undergo counseling after finding the dog’s face and paws bloodied in an apparent effort to escape its cage.