Delta Airlines flies home Vancouver dog stranded in Indiana by pet ban
Passenger says nobody told her Delta banned dogs from May to September when she booked
Shirley Naf, a Vancouver woman who had to leave her dog in Indianapolis because Delta Airlines wouldn't allow it on her return flight, has finally been reunited with her pet.
Shirley Naf flew to Indiana with her dog Ryder at the beginning of March, but had to return home without her pet at the end of May. Delta officials refused to let the dog travel owing to a pet ban during the warm-weather months.
After Naf went public with her story, Delta agreed to fly her back to Indiana on Friday to collect the Rhodesian ridgeback-Labrador retriever cross — and finally allowed them to fly back together on Monday.
"He was jumping up and down. I got scratches all over me and he's just barking and carrying on. Yeah, like he wouldn't leave my side for a long time," said Naf.
The Delta Airlines website says the airline does not carry animals during the summer because it can get too hot in the hold for them.
But Naf said nobody told her anything about the policy when she booked.
A Delta spokesperson made the move to help Naf find a solution after being contacted by CBC News.
"Once we make contact we'll find a solution that works best for her. We certainly apologize for the confusion and the inconvenience," an email from the airline said last week.
Now back home, Naf said she may rethink future travel with her constant companion.
"I'm going to probably find a different mode of transportation if the dog is coming with me."