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Delta Mistakenly Flies Puppy Bound for Boise to Detroit, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City Instead

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A puppy bound for Boise, Idaho ended up making a multi-state trip, according to a report by local news station KTVB.

The dog, along with a litter-mate, was scheduled to fly Delta Airlines on Saturday from a breeder in Virginia, through Minneapolis, to Boise. Instead, the dogs went to Detroit, where they stayed overnight.

Owner Josh Schlaich told KTVB that he got a call from an unmarked telephone number on Saturday saying the dog’s delivery would be delayed, that it would spend the night in Detroit, and they provided contact info for a person named “Chris” who would be taking care of it. But that telephone number was reportedly out of service.

Eventually Schlaich tracked down the dog, and Delta said it was being boarded overnight and would be arriving the next day. But when Sunday afternoon arrived, Schaich was met with the litter-mate. His dog was still missing.

Eventually the dog resurfaced Sunday night, after being misrouted to Las Vegas and then Salt Lake City, according to CNN.

“It’s very concerning to us as we didn’t know where the other dog was,” Schlaich told KTVB.

When reached for comment on the dog flight mixup, Delta gave TIME this statement:

We know pets are important members of the family and apologize for the delayed shipment of a dog, which is in the hands of its owner, after it was routed through incorrect connecting points on its way to Boise. Delta teams worked quickly to reunite the dog and his owner, while remaining in constant contact with the customer throughout the process to update him on the status of his pet. We have fully refunded the shipping costs and have initiated an immediate review [of] procedures to understand what happened.

The puppy was also reportedly given food and water and was let out of the crate, according to CNN.

This is the most recent in a string of news about pets and airlines. Earlier in March, United Airlines accidentally shipped a dog to Japan instead of Kansas, and another dog died on a United flight after being stowed in an overhead bin — an incident for which the airline took full responsibility.

On Tuesday, United suspended its program that ships pets via cargo while it is reviewed.

“We are deeply committed to the safety and comfort of the animals and pets in our care,” the airline said in a statement. “We are conducting a thorough and systematic review of our program for pets that travel in the cargo compartment to make improvements that will ensure the best possible experience for our customers and their pets. To achieve this outcome, we will partner with independent experts in pet safety, comfort and travel.”

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