Alisa Miller planned to spend Christmas settling into her new home on an army base outside of Frankfurt, Germany, where her husband was recently stationed.
She never made it, and on Tuesday, the 30-year-old San Diego woman took a detour to the world's busiest airport, where her German shepherd Nala was last seen nearly one week ago. The Millers spent more than $1,000 on special carriers to transport their two dogs from San Diego to Frankfurt via Delta Air Lines, but only their beagle arrived in Germany.
"I called them on December 22nd, to see if both my dogs got boarded OK," Miller said. "They told me one did, [but] the other one broke out and ran away."
Miller said that, outside of offering to refund Nala's cargo fee, Delta had done little to help find the dog. Miller flew to Atlanta on Tuesday from San Diego on her own dime, though a Delta spokeswoman said the customer would be reimbursed for that trip and also would be awarded a round-trip "business elite" ticket.
"A number of our agents that work in the area, they have animals of their own, so they're incredibly passionate about this and feel terrible that it happened," spokeswoman Susan Elliott said. "They're going to be working very hard to try and track down this animal."
This wasn't the first time this year that Delta had lost a pet. In May, a Canadian college student was told his dachshund and Jack Russell terrier mix escaped from his crate at the Mexico City airport. One month later, the carrier misplaced an 8-month-old puppy, sending him to San Jose, Calif., instead of home to Portland, Maine.
The owners of those two dogs said they were disappointed with the way Delta handled the lost pets. Josiah Allen, whose dog disappeared in Mexico, told the AJC the airline "made me jump through hoops just to get information." His dog was never found.
But all might not be lost in the search for Nala. Elliott said she has heard of possible sightings near the airport and offered "additional support" to any search and rescue operation that may develop. And Delta has been a bit more proactive this time, offering a $1,000 reward for the dog's safe return.
"It's been devastating," Miller said. "[Nala's] very special to us."
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
