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Puppy Abandoned at SFO Adopted

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In August, a traveler from China had to abandon his six-month-old German Shepard at San Francisco International Airport. Now that puppy has a home.

The pup’s original owner failed to provide his pet’s vaccination record. According to the CDC, the rule pertains to animals coming from nations where rabies infections are common. Without it, the dog could not enter the country. Unable to continue to New York with him, the owner left him in the care of a United Airlines crew.

Ordinarily the abandoned animal would be sent back to China and euthanized or put down here in California. United Airlines asked the CDC to reconsider the dog’s fate. “We really wanted him to go to someone in our United family, because of how much our team rallied around him,” an airline representative told Fox reporter Landon Mion.

The agency thankfully spared puppy’s life on the condition he quarantine for four months. He was later flown to a care facility in Los Angeles, where he rode out his four-month quarantine under observation. United later reached out to the San Francisco SPCA for help finding the dog a home with an airline employee.

The SPCA reviewed thirty-five applications for before matching the dog, who the airline named Polaris, with Captain William Dale. With seven years under his belt, the pilot had recently moved his family to San Francisco. United hosted an adoption party for the energetic pup at SFO two weeks ago, where they pledged at $5,000 donation to SF-SPCA.

“United’s Customer Service team took on quite a challenge to ensure Polaris would find a safe, healthy, and loving home,” SPCA Chief of Rescue and Welfare Lisa Feder told reporters. “We’re grateful that we can celebrate with them today, and for their $5,000 donation that will help to save lives year-round.”

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Jake Warren

Jake Warren

Gay nonfiction writer and pragmatic editor belonging to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Service industry veteran, incurable night owl, aspiring professor.