Dog lost at Hartsfield-Jackson airport weeks ago found, officials say

By Hope Dean

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    ATLANTA (WANF) — Three weeks ago, a woman flying internationally said Delta Air Lines lost her dog at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. But the airport posted on social media that the dog was miraculously found in good health on Saturday.

Maia was found hiding near the North Cargo facilities, the airport said. She was taken to a vet and will return home soon.

Robin Allgood, a volunteer with an organization called Lost Pet Recovery, said she reached out to airport officials to search the property after a FedEx employee told her he had seen Maia. She slid on her back under a cargo rail and grabbed the dog, taking Maia to safety, she told Atlanta News First.

Paula Rodriguez, Maia’s owner, said she tried to take her pet from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to San Francisco, California. But when she went through customs in Atlanta, officials reportedly denied her entry, she told Atlanta News First. Rodriguez had to sleep in a detention center and was separated from Maia, she said.

The next day on Aug. 19, Maia still wasn’t with her when she went to board the plane.

“I was crying, I had panic attacks on the plane,” Rodriguez said. “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.’”

Airport officials later told Rodriguez that Maia had broken out of her kennel, she said.

Rodriguez will soon be united with Maia, who she has had since the dog was one month old.

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