Maia, Paula Rodriguez’s 6-year-old female dog, was found three weeks after she went missing at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. According to a statement from Delta Airlines, the animal escaped onto the runway while being loaded onto the plane. The dog’s health condition was initially assessed as good. Maia is to be returned to her owner soon.
On Saturday, more than three weeks after Maja went missing, the dog was found near the transfer center of the Atlanta airport. The airport is considered one of the largest airports in the world, where the largest number of passengers checks in. According to the airport’s social media, the animal was “tired but appeared to be in good health”. The entry published on Sunday added that Maia “was taken to the vet and will most likely be returned to her owner soon.”
The dog was lost more than three weeks ago while being loaded onto a plane. In an interview with CNN, its owner Paula Rodriguez admitted that she was “living a nightmare” all this time. – Anyone who knows me knows how much (Maia) means to me. I don’t go anywhere without her,” she added.
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Maia was found three weeks after she went missing at the Atlanta airport
As described by CNN.com, on August 18, Paula Rodriguez set out with Maia on a trip from Santo Domingo to San Francisco. During the transfer in Atlanta, the woman learned that her tourist visa did not meet the necessary requirements and was therefore unable to continue her journey. She was ordered to leave the United States within 24 hours. And since the next return flight is on Dominican Republic did not depart until the next day, Rodriguez had to spend the night in detention. However, dogs were not allowed there.
Rodriguez was forced to entrust the care of Maia to the employees of Delta Airlines, of which she was a passenger. She arranged with them that she would be able to see her pet at the gates before flying to the Dominican Republic. When Rodriguez arrived at the appointed place, however, Mai was not there. The lack of a valid visa forced the woman to leave without her dog. Two days after Maja disappeared, Delta Airlines employees contacted her owner. “I was told that while (Mai) was being transported to the plane, the cabin crew opened her cage and Maia escaped onto the runway,” Rodriguez told CNN. Due to the lack of a valid visa, the woman could not go to Atlanta on her own and join the search for the missing dog, so she asked her mother for it. Despite the involvement of both her and Delta Airlines employees, the fate of the dog remained unknown for three weeks. Her owner has offered a $1,000 reward for finding Maja. PETA supported the woman’s initiative by offering another $5,000 for finding the female.
Main photo source: X/@ATLairport