A one-year-old dog that was apparently abandoned at the Des Moines airport Thursday is now in safe hands.
The dog was found tethered outside the airport after her owner could not bring her aboard a flight, Today reported Friday.
According to the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Iowa’s CEO, Tom Colvin, staff received a call from airport employees alerting them about the pup. The owner apparently did not have a proper travel kennel for the dog.
The person tried to board with the dog but was not allowed to do so. The individual left, but returned a while later alone and boarded the flight, Colvin explained.
Officials eventually learned the person’s name and are now investigating the matter regarding the dog, whom rescuers have named Allie.
“Allie is incredibly sweet and is now safe in our care and loving attention from our staff team. The incident is still an active investigation, and more details will be released as they are able to be shared. This pup is just one of the 10,000+ pets the ARL has cared for already this year,” the ARL wrote in a social media post on Friday.
Video footage shows someone hugging and scratching the brown and white dog’s back as she wagged her tail vigorously:
DOG LEFT AT AIRPORT: Unprecedented flight cancellations have left thousands of people stranded at airports this week, but the airlines weren’t to blame for this sweet pup being stranded at the Des Moines airport yesterday … When ARL Animal Services officers responded to a call about a dog tied up outside the airport, airline workers told us the dog was unable to board the cross-country flight home with her owner because the owner did not have a kennel. They said the owner left the airport with the dog, but returned alone, and went on to board their flight. The 1 year-old female dog, who we have been calling Allie, was later found tied up outside the airport. Allie is incredibly sweet and is now safe in our care and loving attention from our staff team. The incident is still an active investigation, and more details will be released as they are able to be shared. This pup is just one of the 10,000+ pets the ARL has cared for already this year. You can help Allie and the hundreds of other animals in our care get a fresh start in the new year. Just use the button below, go to our website at https://bit.ly/3C9HY7A or help via Venmo @ARL-Iowa.
Posted by Animal Rescue League of Iowa on Friday, December 30, 2022
Allie is not available to be fostered as officials look into what happened but she appears glad to be in such good hands, Colvin noted.
“(She’s) very friendly and loved everybody from the airport staff that came out, brought her a blanket, stayed with her, loved her, giving her all the attention until our animal services officers came out and picked her up,” he stated.
The ARL’s followers expressed their opinions on the matter, one person writing, “I’d walk home with my dog before I’d ever leave her tied up at an airport.”
“I mean a quick google search shows that most airlines require a dog kennel and give pretty clear expectations on the kennel requirements. At least it was warm yesterday, poor girl,” another commented.
If the dog is not claimed once the investigation is complete, she will be put up for adoption, Colvin explained.
A similar instance occurred recently when a dog abandoned at the San Francisco airport was adopted, Breitbart News reported Monday.
“The dog later had a wonderful stroke of luck when United Airlines Captain William Dale decided to take him home to join his family,” the outlet said.
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