Portly, Pampered Pooch's First-Class Journey Goes Viral

Travelers on an American Airlines flight to Denver Tuesday were stunned to find a huge Mastiff traveling with them, in first class no less.

As it turns out, the much-loved 165-pound canine named Hank is a service dog who detects his owner’s seizures, according to NBC4 in Los Angeles.

A photo of the dog went viral after fellow passenger Madeleine Sweet tweeted a photo of Hank being wheeled onto the place on a pet-bed clad dolly.

“Everyone, both while boarding the plane and on the plane before takeoff, was speculating as to how the dog got so fat,” Sweet told the Daily Mail. “You could legitimately hear hushed whispers of ‘He’s riding first class.’”

Given the service Hank renders his owner, Los Angeles resident Kari Whitman, an interior designer who founded Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue in Beverly Hills, the generously proportioned pooch travels frequently with Whitman.

In fact, Hank has his own Instagram account @Hanktheworldtraveler that captures his many excursions. His Tuesday trip also spawned the hashtag #hankthetank.

Hank happens to have an illness that has added weight to his girth, requiring the dolly cart to transport him.

Hank, however, appears to have very good manners. Sweet, whose twitter handle is @madeleinedoux, told the Mail Hank was well-behaved and quiet for the duration of the flight.