A passenger dumped his puppy at the airport but then something unexpected happened

The owner of Polaris decided to journey onward after paperwork difficulties arose for his dog. It resulted in the puppy that was already stressed out from all the travelling having been abandoned at the San Francisco International airport.

Luckily, someone stepped up and offered the heartbroken pooch a loving home just in time for holidays.

Dumped in the airport

The young dog, named Polaris, arrived at the US airport on an international flight, but instead of joining his owner on the way home, the pooch found himself homeless. Its human decided to keep travelling without following up on the paperwork difficulties for his pet.

Already distressed after a long flight, the dog was risking spending holidays in the shelter.

San Francisco SPCA and United Airlinesteamed up to find a forever home for Polaris, and what happened next melted the hearts of everyone involved.

The best new owner Polaris could get

According to the San Francisco SPCA, United Airlines worked to make sure that Polaris met requirements for entry into the US, such as a quarantine period.

Vincent Passafiume, the airline's director of customer service, said:

From the moment Polaris landed in our care, our entire SFO United team cared for him 24/7 until we were able to get permission to keep him safely in the US.

And, just like in a feel-good Christmas movie, someone stepped up to take the pooch in.

Captain William Dale, a United Airlines pilot, and his family decided to adopt Polaris right in time for the holidays.

The kindhearted captain said:

I only hope that we can do half as good a job of taking care of him as the United staff did. More than one employee said to me, ‘You better take good care of him … or else.’ There was even a wag of a finger.

The airline feted Polaris’s adoption at the airport on 15 December, and even donated $5,000 to the San Francisco SPCA ‘to support their year-round lifesaving work helping animals who are ill, injured, homeless, or in need of an advocate’.

Sourced used:

- TheGuardian: 'US airline pilot adopts dog abandoned by the traveller at airport'