Well, this one is pretty scary even if it does have a happy-ish ending. A dog belonging to a Delta passenger has been found at the Atlanta airport after it went missing three weeks ago. Maia, a chihuahua mix, reportedly escaped her kennel and was later discovered hiding near the North Cargo facility. According to the airline, she was “tired but in apparent good health,” and “she was transported to a vet and is expected to return home soon.”
According to The Independent, Maia went missing in mid-August after border control denied the owner, Paula Rodriguez, entry into the country. She was forced to return to her home country, the Dominican Republic, but first, she had to spend the night at an airport detention center that didn’t allow her to keep Maia with her. The next day, the dog was missing, and Rodriguez was forced to fly home without her.
Delta later told Rodriguez that Maia had “broken out of her kennel.” In a previous statement, the airline said, “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.” Eventually, she was found, but it took a full three weeks to do so. Understandably, Rodriguez was happy to hear that Maia was alive and well, posting, “MAIAAAAAAA IS COMING HOMEEEE!!!” on her Instagram story.
Currently, it’s not clear when Maia will actually be returned to Rodriguez in the Dominican Republic, but the airline has said it will “facilitate” the return. Which, you know, it should, because the dog was lost while it was in Delta’s custody. How she survived on her own for three weeks without regular access to food and water, we have no idea, but clearly, Maia was resourceful enough to figure that out for herself. Hopefully, she recovers quickly and gets home safe this time.