It was a very happy ending for a dog abandoned by its owner at the San Francisco International. A United Airlines pilot stepped and saved the day by adopting the dog just in time for the holidays.
The puppy, named Polaris, arrived at the airport on an international flight, but its owner decided to continue traveling without it due to issues with the animal’s paperwork, according to the San Francisco SPCA. The animal welfare group and United Airlines then partnered to find a permanent home for Polaris. Polaris was eventually adopted by Captain William Dale – pilot at United Airlines.
“[The owner] chose to continue traveling on without his animal, a nearly 6-month-old German Shepherd,” the San Francisco SPCA said in a statement. “The airline [United Airlines] worked to ensure the puppy completed necessary requirements to enter the United States, including a quarantine period.”
After learning about the puppy’s sad story, everyone teamed up to make sure Polaris will find a home soon, including the United Airlines Customer Service.
“From the moment the puppy landed in our care, our entire team cared for him 24/7 until we were able to get permission to keep him safely in the U.S.” said Vincent Passafiume, director of customer service at United Airlines. “It’s a great feeling to see this story come full circle and that Polaris will have a loving home with United Airlines Captain Dale and his family — just in time for the holidays.”
Even the pilot who eventually adopted Polaris was impressed by the great work the United Customer Service did.
The SFO team fell in❤️with a🐶abandoned after he was denied entry to the U.S. An initial grim outlook met our determination & we were granted the OK for him to stay. Meet our pup Polaris! After quarantine in LA, we’ll find him a🏠back in SF! @Auggiie69 @mikehannaual@Tobyatunited pic.twitter.com/5qKbJnNVYE
— Vincent Passafiume (@vjpassa) September 9, 2022
“I only hope that we can do half as good a job of taking care of him as the United staff did,” Capt. Dale shared with the media. “More than one employee said to me, ‘You better take good care of him … or else.’ There was even a wag of a finger,”
But we’re all so sure that Polaris is in some very good hands now!