Atlanta, GA – On Saturday, a dog who was on the loose at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for more than three weeks was captured. Maia, a Chihuahua, escaped from her crate on Aug. 18, while her owner was undergoing border agent questioning.
On Sunday, the Atlanta Airport Tweeted about the recovery:
Robin Cole Allgood, the good Samaritan who captured Maia, had taken over the search effort for Maia’s owner, Paula Rodriguez after Rodriguez was forced to return to the Dominican Republic because of credential issues with her tourist visa.
Allgood successfully tracked down the elusive dog after receiving a tip from a Fed Ex worker who had seen one of her lost dog signs. In a Facebook post, she explains:
I recevied a call at 2:30am on Saturday morning. My first thought was it’s a scam. It was a Fed Ex cargo worker that saw my SIGN! SIGNS find lost dogs!
He told me he had seen her at 5pm on Friday, he saw her on Thursday and several other employees had seen her during the week. I jumped out of bed and headed straight to the airport.
After receiving the tip about Maia’s possible location, she was led on a bit of a wild goose chase by airport employees, but she remained dedicated to the task at hand and ultimately found the frightened dog hiding under cargo racks.
Maia was captured and went to a veterinarian to ensure that the weeks on her own had not taken a toll. Allgood writes:
She stayed overnight at the vet as a precaution and received IV fluids. The vet stated she was in great shape considering she had been lost for three weeks. The vet stated this dog is a survivor!❤️
Maia had been in the care of Delta Airlines when she escaped. In a previous statement to CNN, 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. 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.”
Rodriguez’s lawyer has been in talks with the airlines since Maia disappeared.
(Image via screenshot/Find Maia Community)
Continue reading: Officials Kill Grizzly Involved In Fatal Mauling, Capture Her Cub
God Bless this nice man for helping this other man catch his dog.
What a wonderful human being to go out of his way and search for the dog and capture her while the airport personnel probably did very little to none to rescue her. They are probably responsible for her escape. Dogs just don’t bust out of their grates or carriers. Someone most likely open the door to pet the dog or put in water in and she bolted. I hope the dog can be sent back to DR to be with her owner or at least found a great home here in the US. Poor dog went through hell and shouldn’t be subjected to the same airline in hopes of flying her back to the DR.
What a relief that she was able to find her. The airlines obviously was not concerned for all of their lip service.