Qantas crew failed to notice Lamar Patterson’s stowaway dog

Qantas cabin crew were unaware there was a dog on a flight from LA to Brisbane until a quarantine officer contacted the airline.

Lamar Patterson has been caught up in a biosecurity drama after he attempted to bring his pet French bulldog into the country via his hand luggage. Picture: Supplied

Qantas cabin crew were unaware there was a dog on a flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane until an Australian Quarantine officer contacted the airline.

Basketballer Lamar Patterson made it all the way to security at Brisbane Airport with his French bulldog Kobe before he was stopped and questioned.

The dog was noted on his ticket but it’s unclear if that was sighted by Qantas cabin crew.

The Australian understands Patterson was cleared to board the flight in LA, due to the fact other international airlines allow dogs in the cabin as “carry on”.

Security officers at the airport are not required to check what carrier passengers are flying with, and would not have considered the French bulldog a security risk.

It is believed Mr Patterson did not take the dog out of a carry bag for the duration of the 12-hour flight to Brisbane and Qantas attendants were unaware of Kobe’s presence.

A statement from the Brisbane Bullets, with whom Patterson is playing, said he was not stopped or questioned at security or when boarding the flight “where he had the dog in the cabin in a dog carrier bag”.

“Lamar was only aware of the issue with the dog when entering Border Patrol in Brisbane,” said the statement.

“Once advised by Border Patrol of the issue, Lamar worked through the process of organising for the dog to return to the US on the next available flight. The dog has now returned to the US.”

Lamar Patterson with his french Bulldog Kobe. Picture: Instagram

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources is continuing to investigate the circumstances of the incident including airline procedures that led to the dog arriving in Australia.

Patterson has been issued with an infringement notice and fined $420 for “providing a false declaration on his incoming passenger card”.

“Australia has strict conditions for the import of dogs to guard against serious biosecurity threats,” said the department.

“The conditions for dogs were developed to protect Australia from a number of pests and diseases. These include rabies, ehrlichia, leishmania and leptospirosis.”

Dogs imported to Australia must be accompanied by a valid import permit, and have undergone relevant testing and health checks signed off by a government veterinarian from the exporting country.

Then they must spend a minimum of ten 10 days in a government quarantine facility once arriving in Australia.

In 2015, Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard failed to fill out the appropriate paperwork to bring their two Yorkshire terriers Pistol and Boo into the country.

Heard later pleaded guilty in a Queensland court of falsifying quarantine documents and copped a $1000 fine.

The couple also made a public apology video to atone, but many perceived their deadpan expressions and tone as a signal that they were mocking the situation, which included a public stoush between Depp and then agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce.