Alisa tried to fly two dogs from San Diego to Atlanta, with the intent of continuing on to Germany, where she’s moving with her husband. She says Nala, a German Shepherd who is pictured here, is on the loose thanks to Delta’s mistakes in corralling the pooch. The airline says it’s in touch with Alisa and is doing “everything we can” to help her find the dog. Delta made headlines recently for a similar gaffe.

Alisa writes:

I am having the worst day of my life today. Delta has informed me that my dog broke out of her kennel on the tarmac and ran away and they can not find her. I came across your article about Paco and just wanted to let someone know about this because I am just in shock. My husband and I are moving to Germany because he is in the Army and we have two dogs, a German Shepherd mix (Nala) and a mini beagle (Princess). We live in San Diego and the dogs were to fly Delta from San Diego to Atlanta and then to Frankfurt.

I had gone to my vet and collected all the necessary paperwork to bring the dog into Germany and when I got to the Delta Cargo location in San Diego I was told I was missing a document that I had never heard of. They had no idea what the form was either just that we had to have it. I was supposed to fly out the next morning so they said they would ship the dogs anyway. I then got a call about an hour later that the form they needed was something THEY print out and have me sign. I couldn’t believe it. I drove back and signed the form and they said the dogs were on the plane and they might either fly them back to San Diego or they would see if they could just fax them the form. They called me about three hours later and said everything was fine.

Then about ten minutes before the dogs were to be boarded on the flight to Frankfurt, I got a call that Nala was trying to get out of her kennel so they wanted her to spend the night at the dog kennel and they would put her on the flight the next day. They also said she needed a larger kennel. I said fine. It was now December 22 and I did not hear from anyone so I assumed everything was going as planned. I called the international cargo desk about an hour before take-off to confirm that both dogs were boarded. I was transferred to a man who told me that Nala had escaped from the kennel and ran off like a bullet and they were looking for her. He said he did not have my phone number to call and tell me this. I was in shock and didn’t ask any details and hung up.

Mu husband called him from Germany and was told that she was placed in a much larger kennel and in the matter of about a half hour she had managed to break through the top of the kennel. I can not comprehend how this could have happened. How can a 70 pound dog break through the top of a secure kennel. She didn’t break out of the kennel that I put her in on the first flight. I am completely devastated. She has been my beautiful, loyal dog for eight years and a wonderful companion for all the months I was alone without my husband.

I really have no idea what to do and it is really hard for me to believe their story. She is lost and scared in Atlanta somewhere and I hope someone finds her and I can bring her home.

A Delta spokesperson said the airline has been in contact with Alisa and will offer her a free international round trip ticket and refund of the cargo fees. Delta will be “working with her to do everything we can to find the dog,” the spokesperson said.

“We transport hundreds of thousands of animals each year, and instances of them escaping are extremely rare,” the spokesperson added.

We’ll keep you updated on Alisa’s search for her lost dog.

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