Animal Lover of the Day: A Pilot Diverts an International Flight to Save a French Bulldog

Everything was going fine on an International flight traveling from Tel Aviv to Toronto, until the plane's pilot recognized a heating malfunction in the cargo bay. Normally the pilot would have stayed the course, but this one knew a French bulldog was along for the ride.

So at great financial and time expense, the pilot decided to drastically change direction for the sake of the pup.

The seven-year-old French bulldog named Simba was taking its first flight when the pilot noticed the problem just as the plane was about to head over the Atlantic Ocean, where temperatures plummet.

With the dog's well-being in peril the pilot decided to land the plane in Frankfurt, Germany.

The dog's owner was more than grateful.

"It's my dog, it's like my child. It's everything to me," he said after they were reunited at Pearson Airport.

Aviation expert Phyl Durby said the pilot made the right call, despite tacking on about $10,000 in fuel costs and delaying the flight by 75 minutes.

Though the dog is named, the hero pilot was not identified. He could be anywhere out there, blending in with the rest of humanity. Ready to reemerge when he senses another French bulldog in turmoil.