It’s a nightmare for anyone with a pet: taking them on a trip and losing them. Paula Rodriguez is going through this right now, after her dog Maia was lost due to an error by Atlanta airport staff. “I trusted the staff.”
Paula flew to California with her six-year-old dog Maia for a vacation. During a layover at the Atlanta airport, Paula was told that her tourist visa did not meet the requirements, forcing her to take the next flight home.
Because the flight was only the next day, she had to spend the night in a detention center. Her dog was unable to stay with her and was taken away by a Delta Airlines employee. “She would go to a place where people work who were trained for this. I didn’t want it, but I understood. I couldn’t do anything and trusted the staff,” she says.
When Paula returned to the gate for her flight the next day, Maia was gone. Customs officers told her she had to board because of her invalid visa, even though it was without her dog. According to her own words, the woman had a panic attack during the flight.
Paula had found Maia completely neglected on the street years ago when she was a puppy. “Anyone who knows me knows how important she is to me. She can be anywhere now.”
Distraught
A Delta Airlines employee later said in a telephone conversation that the dog had escaped while being transported on the runway. “She was moved to the plane, the staff then opened her cage. She then escaped and ran. The staff ran after her, but were unable to catch up with her. The most likely option is that she is hiding somewhere in that huge airport right now.”
Paula is distraught as her visa has been revoked, preventing her from returning to the United States to search for Maia herself. Her mother has traveled to Atlanta in hopes of getting more information.
‘Every minute feels like a day’
Meanwhile, Paula anxiously awaits news about her beloved dog. “I’ve been living in a nightmare since Friday, knowing my baby is scared somewhere out there, or maybe hurt. Every minute feels like a day,” she told CNN.
Delta Airlines told CNN that they are still looking for the dog. “We are deeply concerned about this woman and concerned about her dog. We will continue to work to find them.” Maia is chipped and there is hope that she may still be hiding in the airport.
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