An abandoned pup has found his forever home after he was left by his owner at San Francisco International Airport.
Six-month-old German Shepherd mix Polaris arrived with his then-owner at the airport earlier in the fall from an international destination.
However, devastatingly, his owner decided to continue his journey without his pooch after arriving without the correct documentation.
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The Center for Disease Control (CDC) gave United Airlines two options; send the pup back to the country he was travelling from, or leave him at the airport.
“The initial options were very grim,” Vincent Passafiume, Director of Customer Service at United Airlines said. “He would be euthanized upon getting back to China or locally put down.”
The team weren’t going to settle for that, and so got in touch with the governmental affairs team in Washington and urged the CDC to reverse its ruling on the pooch.
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“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,” he added.
After the agency granted permission, Polaris had to undergo a four-month quarantine before he could enter the US.
Making sure Polaris was well cared for and able to travel to the US was no easy feat.
Lisa Feder, SF SPCA Chief of Rescue and Welfare, explained: “United’s Customer Service team took on quite a challenge to ensure Polaris would be safe, healthy, and find a loving home.”
Luckily, Polaris’ story has a happy ending - and just in time for the holidays.
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After completing his quarantine period, the pup was eventually adopted by United Captain William Dale and his family in a ‘full circle’ moment, with an adoption party taking place on December 15 to celebrate.
“I only hope that we can do half as good a job of taking care of him as the United staff did,” said Dale. “More than one employee said to me, ‘You better take good care of him … or else.’ There was even a wag of a finger.”
Incredibly, the airline also donated $5,000 to support non-profit San Francisco SPCA, who helped facilitate the adoption.
“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,” Passafiume continued.