The story of an airplane passenger who lost her dog at the airport

Paula Rodriguez is originally from the Dominican Republic. She is the owner of a six-year-old dog, Maya. She recently flew on vacation to California with her.

The flight included a stop at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. During her stay there, she lost Maya, writes CNN.

When Paula flew to Atlanta on Delta Air Lines, border officials said she did not qualify for a tourist visa. Therefore, she will have to return home on the next flight.

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The nearest departure was only the next day. Rodriguez had to spend the night in the detention center, where the dog could not go. A Delta agent picked up a dog that was very ill during and after the flight.

Photo: Dog Maya, pcrod/Instagram

The next morning, Paula was to be picked up 1 hour 45 minutes before her flight home. The dog was supposed to be waiting for her at the gate. But when the passengers were already boarding, Maya was not there.

“The gate staff started calling. The manager came and said they were looking for her, that she should be at the facility, but they didn’t have time to look and I had to get on the plane.” said Rodriguez.

After that, the passenger began to panic and refused to board the plane. The company transferred her to a later flight. But the dog never appeared. Paula Rodriguez was not allowed to stay in the US for more than 24 hours without a visa, so she had to fly to her country herself.

During the trip to Punta Cana, she had panic attacks, because she had never been separated from her pet. She used to rescue street dogs and rehome them.

“Anyone who knows me knows what she means to me. I don’t go anywhere without her. She’s so well behaved that I take her to restaurants, literally everywhere. She’s my partner in everything.” – says Paula.

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In addition, her mother traveled to Santo Domingo to see if the dog had accidentally gotten there. During this time, Paul received calls from the Atlanta airport, shelters and veterinary clinics in the city.

In just 2 days, she received a call from a representative of the Delta company, who informed her that Maya ran out during transportation to the plane on the runway after the booth was opened – no one could catch her.

Then they dealt with another representative. And the mother even flew to the USA, where she was shown tapes of airport video recordings. No traces of the dog were noticed.

“The thing is, this airport is over 4,000 hectares. My mom told me that’s a scary size – it’s definitely a possibility that she’s hiding in the airport, but she could be in a lot of places.” – emphasizes the pet’s owner.

The dog has a microchip – and Paula does not give up hope for its return. Delta said they are currently making every effort to locate the dog. However, the company did not answer the question of how exactly the dog managed to escape.

“Since Friday, I’ve been living a nightmare knowing that my child is out there somewhere scared or could be hurt. All kinds of thoughts come to my mind and I can’t do anything. Every minute seems like a day.” – concluded Rodriguez.

Earlier, we talked about how a dog in Rivne saved its owners during a fire.

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