As many would say, the death of a pet is the death of a loved one -- a family member -- regardless of how long the interaction is. Unfortunately, 11-year-old Sophia Ceballos was left experiencing the tragic loss of her 10-month-old French bulldog after her family's flight with United Airlines. A flight attendant allegedly requested the family to put their bag, in which their dog resided, in an overhead bin, but, as a result of doing so, the family was met with the death of their pet upon landing.

This came after the family was assured their pet would be safe, according to June Lara, a passenger on the same flight.

Another passenger, Maggie Gremminger, told PEOPLE she understood the decision of the family to comply with the flight attendant's order.

"My only thought is that if it had been me, it would have been a hard scenario. The flight attendant is the authority figure, who should be trusted. I was thinking 'maybe there is an improved ventilation system' or something of the sorts. Also, the owner had an infant and other daughter. Causing a scene before flight could risk being kicked off the flight. I can only imagine she felt stuck in her decision to comply."

As anyone can imagine, being put in a situation like this family is never one that is anticipated, but when in doubt, especially when it comes to the orders of an "authority figure," speak up. A life is a life and should never be subjugated to the confinement of a closed compartment, even more so without access to food or water, especially a beloved animal that cannot speak for itself.

Apparently, the departed French bulldog barked throughout the approximate four-hour flight, but, as reported to NBC News, it was turbulence that prevented the family from attending to their pet.

Following the tragedy, United released a statement:

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again."

Unfortunately, this is not the first time a pet has died on United Airlines. In fact, MarketWatch recently reported that United has had the "most animal deaths in 2017." The data comes from the Department of Transportation, where it was documented that there have been 18 deaths of animals during air transportation. Note that these numbers refer to the deaths of pets that flew using the PetSafe cargo program. In-cabin pets, on the other hand, like the recently deceased bulldog of Ceballos, are meant to be placed underneath the seat in front of the owner.

On all U.S. carriers combined, 24 deaths have occurred.

Twenty-four deaths are already one too many and it is such a devastating misfortune to learn that the beloved lives of animals onboard flights are being lost. No one should board a flight with their pet and in return find themselves arranging ways to bury them.