Dog flown home first-class after missing for four years
Dog flown home first-class after missing for four years
Karisa Lambert of New Orleans is reunited with her terrier Sam after he went missing for nearly four years. (AP Photo)
Many people arent lucky enough to fly first classlet alone a dog. But one very lucky Louisiana terrier was reunited with his family after four years on the road thanks to a free fare from United.
Sam, a 10-year-old Yorkshire terrier, disappeared during the summer of 2011. His owners, the Lambert family of New Orleans, were heartbroken. But on April 14 they received a call that their dog had been found in Cedar Rapids, Iowa almost 1,000 miles from home.
Somebody had to take it to Iowa. It had the microchip in it, Thomas Lambert explained to ABC News when asked it the dog could have been stolen. We were waiting to hear around here if someone found him. They would have called us. After four years, you kind of give up hope."
Sam was ultimately found at an animal shelter in Iowa, but it remains unclear where he was before.
"The Yorkie was in fair condition, but was straggly and weighed only 5 1/2 pounds," according to a statement released from the city of Cedar Rapids. "Despite the dogs condition, Animal Care and Control staff was able to determine that the Yorkie had a microchip."
But the Lamberts had a problem: they couldnt afford to fly the dog home. They raised over $250 via a GoFundMe page but it still wasnt enough. Thats when United Airlines stepped in and paid for Sam and a animal service worker to fly one-way fare back to Louisianain the first class --a ticket that starts around $500.
"When he [Sam] saw her [Lamberts daughter], I swear he recognized her and went straight for her. When I talked to him, he started licking me in the face," Lambert told ABC News.
When Sam arrived at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Wednesday, he and his newly reunited family were welcomed by United with balloons and soft drinks to celebrate the happy homecoming. The money raised by the Lamberts to fund Sams return trip home will now go toward his medical care.
This just makes all of us feel really, really happy that we can make this miracle come true for this family and their little dog," Diane Webber, Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control program manager, said in a statement. "Sam was found during Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week, and all of us taking care of this dog and finding a way to reunite him with his family really bonded us together in a special way.
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2015/05/01/dog-flown-home-first-class-after-missing-for-four-years/?intcmp=latestnews
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A good reason to micro chip your pets....
What a great story and a testament to the value of microchip tagging of our beloved pets.
Absolutely! Both of my dogs are micro chipped....you just never know !!
What a wonderful, heart-warming story! Someone had to have kept him!
I'm glad he's home and kudos to United!
I'm glad he's home and kudos to United So am I! What a wonderful re-union that must have been!! I wish I could have been there.
Great story, kudos to UAL.
Both Annie and Wiki are chipped.
And...that's a GOOD THING!!
When I flew on business all the time I used to have to jump through all kinds of hoops to get bumped to First Class. A good way (doesn't work on cheap airlines) as if they overbooked and they needed to have someone volunteer to miss the flight. A lot of the time you can talk to the desk agent and say you'll volunteer to fly a later flight to the same location, if you can get First Class on the later flight. That one works great on airlines that have a business or First Class.
I love flying, but, I abhor airports....too many people!!