ATLANTA (Atlanta News First/Gray News) – A lady says Delta Air Lines misplaced her canine at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport throughout a flight from the Dominican Republic.
“I rescued her from the streets. I’ve had her since she’s been one month old,” Paula Rodriguez stated.
Forget man’s greatest good friend. Maia is Rodriguez’s child. That’s why she determined to take her on the lengthy journey from Santo Domingo within the Dominican Republic to San Francisco.
But when she bought to customs in Atlanta, she was denied entry to the U.S.
“They told me very kindly, ‘We’re so sorry but you don’t meet the requirements to enter the U.S. You’ve been denied entry, and you need to be sent back home to Santo Domingo,’” Rodriguez stated. “They told me, ‘You’re going to have to sleep in a detention center, and your dog can’t come with you.’”
The subsequent morning, final Saturday, Rodriguez was able to board her flight, however her treasured cargo wasn’t there. And the airline apparently didn’t have solutions.
“I was like, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t get on this plane, I don’t know where my dog is,’” Rodriguez stated. “I was crying, I had panic attacks on the plane, I had to get on the plane because the U.S. Border Control told me, ‘Hey, we can’t have you here by law in this airport for more than 24 hours.’”
When she bought again to the Dominican Republic, she stated Delta nonetheless didn’t have an update on the place Maia was.
“I started making calls, I started making claims, nobody knew where she was,” Rodriguez stated.
She lastly heard again from a Delta consultant within the Dominican Republic on Monday.
“He tells me, ‘Your dog, she broke out her kennel, and she has been missing since Saturday,’” Rodriguez stated. “After that, Delta hasn’t called me once or emailed me about the whereabouts of my dog.”
Rodriguez is popping to the ability of social media to get assist from overseas to seek out her Maia.
Delta Airlines stated of their search efforts for Maia: “ATL’s operations teams conduct runway and airfield inspections throughout the day. At this time they have not encountered the dog, but will continue to remain vigilant should she appear. If she is seen, ATL’s staff will attempt to capture her and return her to the airline and her owner,” stated Andrew Gobeil, senior director of communications for the airport.
The airline says they’re working to find the pet and stay in touch with Rodriguez.
“Delta teams have been working to locate and reunite this pet with the customer and we remain in touch with the customer to provide updates. Delta people feel deeply concerned for the customer and the dog and we’re committed to ongoing search efforts, working closely with the City of Atlanta Department of Aviation and other stakeholders,” stated Drake Casteneda, a communications consultant for Delta.
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