Prize-winning show dog found, reunited with owner after being lost at airport
The prize-winning show dog who went missing in the world’s busiest airport has been found, authorities said.
Gale, a 22-month-old American Staffordshire terrier, will be reunited with her owner days after disappearing at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport moments before she was supposed to fly back to Amsterdam.
In a tweet, the Atlanta airport said Gale was spotted in an airfield thicket Tuesday. A baited trap was set, and Gale was found soon after.
Gale was in Atlanta with her handlers after a dog show. She was supposed to board a KLM plane and head home, but she vanished.
“When they tried to load my dog’s cage, it was empty and they couldn’t find her,” Gale’s owner, Floris Van Essen, told Channel 2 Action News at the time.
Van Essen said once the handlers got to the gate, they received a call from the terminal notifying them that Gale was gone. The handlers were asked to board the plane while officials searched for the dog, Van Essen told Channel 2.
Success! Gayle has been found and is back her owner’s hands. Kudos to #ATL’s Ops team for its effort in bringing her back.... pic.twitter.com/N0ukM5Z4Qn
— Atlanta Airport (@ATLairport) March 26, 2019
“She’s lost,” he said. “She doesn’t understand, she misses us and she’s all alone in a big airport. It’s a terrible ordeal.”
In a statement, KLM confirmed to Channel 2 that “a dog managed to break out of its cage as it was being loaded into the cargo of flight KL-622 from Atlanta to Amsterdam on March 23.”
Gayle update:
— Atlanta Airport (@ATLairport) March 26, 2019
The show dog who apparently escaped her crate at #ATL Saturday, was spotted in an airfield thicket by ATL Ops teams this morning. A baited trap has been set and is now being monitored. pic.twitter.com/3ol5dKtQnv
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About the Author
Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
