A Dominican Republic woman whose tourist visa was denied by Customs and Border Patrol officials has been reunited with her dog that escaped from Delta Airlines custody.
The dog, Maia, which escaped weeks earlier at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, was safely located Saturday, according to a social media post by an airport representative.
The operations team discovered the dog hiding close to the airport’s North Cargo facilities, according to a CBS News report. Following her recovery, she was brought to a veterinarian for a check-up.
Paula Rodriguez was a Delta flight passenger when her pet disappeared during a layover in Atlanta.
The distraught dog owner posted to the Facebook group “Atlanta Area Lost and Found Pets” a plea for help finding Maia.
“For two straight days I have not received any information whatsoever on her whereabouts, and just today I received info from Delta that she escaped her kennel on the airport ramp and that airport staff was looking for her,” Rodriguez said in an August 21 post that included a photograph of Maia.
Robin Allgood, an individual dedicated to locating lost dogs, distributed flyers around the airport.
Allgood told CBS News’ David Begnaud she was alerted Saturday to Maia’s presence at the airport.
She explained the dog was under a rack used to move big cargo containers around the airport. After a wildlife biologist failed to get Maia with a net, people stood around discussing how to get the dog from under the rack.
“And I thought ‘you know what? Y’all aren’t getting her, I am,'” Allgood told Begnaud. “So I just started scooting on my back under the rack and nobody even knew I was under there and I just reached and grabbed her and then somebody said ‘Oh my gosh, she’s got her.'”
Allgood informed Rodriguez her dog had been found and was in good health, according to the report.
Delta Airlines stated they were still probing the specifics of Maia’s disappearance, the report noted.
Rodriguez, en route to San Francisco from the Dominican Republic with a layover in Atlanta, revealed her tourist visa was not approved by border officials.
Consequently, she had to spend a night at a detention center while waiting for her next flight. Center regulations do not permit animals to accompany owners in detention, according to the report.
Rodriguez explained a Delta representative had taken custody of Maia, assuring her that the dog would be handed over to her the following day at the gate.
When Maia did not appear, Rodriguez said that the gate staff unsuccessfully attempted to locate her.
Maia managed to escape her carrier “while teams were transporting the pet in the operations area outside of terminal buildings,” a Delta spokesperson informed CBS.
The spokesperson added the dog would have been reunited with Rodriguez prior to her Customs and Border Protection-mandated flight.
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