Passenger finds dog that went missing at world’s busiest airport after three weeks

After three weeks, the owner of a dog was reunited with her missing animal safely at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, in Atlanta, in the United States, on Saturday (9), according to authorities at the air terminal.

The dog Maia, 6 years old, who belongs to Passenger Paula Rodriguez, who was traveling on Delta Air Lines, was lost in August at the airport, considered the busiest in the world.

Airport operations staff found Maia hiding near the northern cargo facility, according to a post on X, a platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Tired but apparently in good health, she was transported to a veterinarian and is expected to return home soon,” airport officials said.

On August 18, Rodriguez and Maia embarked on a trip from their home in the Dominican Republic to California for a two-week vacation.

However, when they arrived in Atlanta for a layover, Rodriguez was informed by Border Patrol staff that her tourist visa did not meet the necessary requirements. They canceled her visa and told her she would need to return home on the next flight, Rodriguez previously told CNN .

With her next flight to Punta Cana scheduled for the next day, Rodriguez spent the night alone in a detention center, separated from her dog. “They called a Delta agent, who took Maia away from me,” she told CNN .

The next day, Rodriguez arrived early at the gate of his flight, awaiting his reunion with Maia. But Maia never arrived.

Unable to remain in the United States for more than 24 hours without a visa, Rodriguez had no choice but to board her flight to Punta Cana without Maia, an experience she says triggered a panic attack during her trip home.

“Everyone who knows me knows what she means to me,” Rodriguez said of her beloved pet. “I’m not going anywhere without her. She is so well behaved that I take her to restaurants, literally everywhere. She is my partner in everything.”

Two days after Maia disappeared, a Delta representative contacted Rodriguez to share bad news. “He said she was being transported [para o avião] on the track, the team opened the transport box and it escaped into the middle of the track,” Rodriguez told CNN .

Despite Rodriguez’s pleas to Delta for more updates, weeks passed without her receiving any new information.

A Delta spokesperson previously told CNN in a statement: “Delta teams have been working to locate this pet and return it to the customer. We remain in contact with the customer to provide updates. Delta personnel feel deeply concerned about our customer and her dog, and we are committed to continued search efforts, working closely with the City of Atlanta Department of Aviation and other interested parties.”

With his tourist visa cancelled, Rodriguez sent his mother to Atlanta to join search efforts at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

Rodriguez described his experience as “living a nightmare,” he previously told CNN .

A CNN contacted Delta Air Lines about the circumstances of Maia’s escape, but has not heard back to date.

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