Current:Home > MarketsDog lost for 22 days at Atlanta airport was found thanks to Good Samaritan: "Just so happy that I got her"-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Dog lost for 22 days at Atlanta airport was found thanks to Good Samaritan: "Just so happy that I got her"
View Date:2024-12-23 21:45:41
After 22 days on the tarmac at one of the world's busiest airports, Maia, a Chihuahua mix, is the ultimate survivor. She was found last weekend after a Good Samaritan brought the three-week saga to an end.
Maia and her owner, Paula Rodriguez, got separated on their way to San Francisco from the Dominican Republic. During a stop in Atlanta, Rodriguez had to spend the night in a detention center because she didn't have the proper documents to enter the United States.
Since pets aren't allowed in the detention center, Delta Air Lines offered to care for Maia overnight, after she flew in the cabin on a Delta flight. But during the transfer, Maia escaped her zipped carrier and ran onto the active runway. She was wearing a seashell collar that later helped identify her.
Rodriguez turned to social media for help and posted in a Facebook group called "Atlanta Area Lost and Found Pets."
Robin Allgood, a volunteer pet rescuer, saw the plea and took matters into her own hands. She placed signs around the airport, hoping to locate Maia, but after two weeks lost hope.
"I honestly gave her a 1% chance of still being on that property," Allgood said.
Then, a FedEx employee named Al Lewis, who had seen Allgood's signs, reported a sighting. Rodriguez rushed to the FedEx facility at the airport, where employees were skeptical.
"They were looking at me like, 'Really lady?'" Rodriguez said. But she insisted the dog was on their property.
She said FedEx security told her she needed to speak with Delta, so she drove to the Delta terminal where she said she was told she couldn't get clearance since they didn't have proof the dog was there. Allgood broke into tears and went back to FedEx, where she said she was told, "Delta lost the Dog. It's Delta's problem."
Allgood said she circled the FedEx facility for nearly three hours looking for Maia. Her persistence led her to Norris Champion, a FedEx manager who organized a search party. About an hour later, they made a breakthrough: Maia was found. He sent Allgood a picture of the dog — and saw the seashells on her collar.
"I was like, 'It's her, it's her, it's her!'" Allgood said.
Officials escorted Allgood onto the tarmac to retrieve Maia, who, though still shaken, was safe.
"She was so panicked. She was trembling so bad, and I could literally see her pulse in her neck," Allgood said.
"I'm just so happy that I got her," she said.
In all, Allgood's search after she got the call from Lewis had lasted nearly 24 hours.
The next day, Delta flew Rodriguez's mother to Atlanta for a heartwarming reunion. Maia, dehydrated and 7 pounds thinner but otherwise okay, has since returned to the Dominican Republic, where she is back in the loving arms of Rodriguez.
Delta previously told CBS News that the specifics of how and why the dog went missing were still being investigated. PETA is splitting a $5,000 reward between Allgood and the five FedEx workers who helped her find Maia.
David BegnaudDavid Begnaud is the lead national correspondent for "CBS Mornings" based in New York City.
Twitter Facebook InstagramveryGood! (44531)
Related
- Powell says Fed will likely cut rates cautiously given persistent inflation pressures
- Justin Theroux and Nicole Brydon Bloom Spark Engagement Rumors: See Her Stunning Ring
- Typhoon lashes Japan with torrential rain and strong winds on a slow crawl north
- Tropical systems Gilma and Hector have weakened but still pose threat to Hawaii
- Kid Rock tells fellow Trump supporters 'most of our left-leaning friends are good people'
- Funko teams up with NFL so you can Pop! Yourself in your favorite football team's gear
- Lana Del Rey Sparks Romance Rumors With Alligator Guide Jeremy Dufrene
- Toby Keith's Nashville legacy reflected in new NBC tribute special
- Drone footage captures scope of damage, destruction from deadly Louisville explosion
- Fire inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park doubles in size; now spans 23 acres
Ranking
- Ariana Grande Shares Dad's Emotional Reaction to Using His Last Name in Wicked Credits
- Lamont nominates Justice Raheem L. Mullins to become next chief justice of Connecticut Supreme Court
- 4 children inside home when parents killed, shot at 42 times: 'Their lives are destroyed'
- Toby Keith's Nashville legacy reflected in new NBC tribute special
- Amazon Black Friday 2024 sales event will start Nov. 21: See some of the deals
- US swimmers haul in silver, but an accusation of cheating becomes hurtful
- Investigators say dispatching errors led to Union Pacific train crash that killed 2 workers
- Georgia puts Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz back on the state’s presidential ballots
Recommendation
-
2024 'virtually certain' to be warmest year on record, scientists say
-
Tell Me Lies Costars Grace Van Patten and Jackson White Confirm They’re Dating IRL
-
Zappos Labor Day 60% Off Sale: Insane Deals Start at $10 Plus $48 Uggs, $31 Crocs & $60 On Cloud Sneakers
-
Real Housewives of Orange County's Alexis Bellino Engaged to John Janssen After 9 Months of Dating
-
Lou Donaldson, jazz saxophonist who blended many influences, dead at 98
-
Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum’s Daughter Everly Steps Up to 6th Grade in Rare Photo
-
Bold fantasy football predictions for 2024: Rashee Rice and other league-winning players
-
Jinger Duggar Wants to Have Twins With Jeremy Vuolo