Airport officials said the rescue dog, Maia, was “tired but apparently in good health.” Maia was taken to the vet on Saturday, they added. Delta Airlines, the airline responsible for the dog’s disappearance, said Maia would soon be reunited with her owner, Paula Camila Rodriguez, 25, who lives in the Dominican Republic.
“We appreciate the teamwork that has resulted in the recovery of our customer’s dog,” Delta Air Lines spokesman Drake X. Castañeda told The Washington Post in an email. “Delta Air Lines is working to reunite this dog with our customers as soon as possible.”
Rodriguez arrived with his emotional support dog at the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta, on August 18. But she previously told the Post that the two were separated after Rodriguez was refused at customs due to a tourist visa issue.
Rodriguez was flying from Santo Domingo to California to visit a friend, and Atlanta was supposed to be a short layover. But Rodriguez said he got the wrong type of visa and was told he had to go home.
Rodriguez recalled that Maia had to spend the night in airport detention before leaving, but Maia was scheduled to be housed at Delta’s pet facility. Rodriguez said the two were scheduled to meet again on the flight home the next morning.
When Rodriguez was ready to board a flight to Santo Domingo, Delta employees at the gate couldn’t find her dog.
Rodriguez was later told that Maia never made it to the pet facility. Two days after returning home without my dog, Rodriguez said Delta officials said Maia smashed the carrier in the middle of the runway on the night of August 18 while being taken to the pet facility. Airline employees chased her, but Maia said she fled into a restricted area of the airport.
Rodriguez wasn’t the only one involved in the search for Maia.a please fund It was established to raise funds to help find dogs.Strangers and animal rights activists voluntarily participated help; And many people anonymously submitted sightings to Rodriguez. Hashtag #Whysmire.
Delta spokeswoman Castañeda said airline staff and local officials had been searching for Maia for several weeks.
This includes tracking given clues and searching using night vision goggles.Delta also flew Rodriguez’s mother traveled to Atlanta to help search for the dog.
Rodriguez’s mother brought her daughter’s clothes to plant a nostalgic scent around the airport, Rodriguez previously told the Post.
Castañeda said Delta would honor Rodriguez’s “wish for how to reunite with his dog,” and that Maia was taken to a veterinarian to make sure she was fit to travel. . Castañeda said the now-famous dog appears to be in good health.
Rodriguez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night. On social media, she shared a video of herself celebrating with her loved ones. “I’m very happy,” Rodriguez said in an Instagram story.
Maia came into Rodriguez’s life in 2017 when she found the dog in a box on the street before Hurricane Maria passed through the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez had planned to give her her home until the storm passed and then take her to an animal shelter, but Maia won Rodriguez’s girlfriend’s heart.
The two have been inseparable ever since, and Rodriguez previously told the Post that they love exploring, hiking, and even surfing when the waves aren’t too high.