Last week, United finally resolved the case, closing the case on Polaris the pup. The 6-month-old German Shepherd mix left the airport for the last time with a new owner: a United pilot.
“I just hope we can take care of him half as well as the staff at United,” said William Dale, the United driver who adopted the dog with his family. “More than one employee has said to me, ‘You better take good care of him… otherwise.’ There was even a finger movement.
The pup ordeal began at international arrivals, when a passenger on a United flight from China failed to present the correct documentation for importing an animal. the Centers for Disaster Control and Preventionwhich administers the rules for animals from countries with a high risk of rabies (China is on the list), would not allow the dog to enter the United States.
“The CDC had concerns about the validity of the documents,” said Vincent Passafiume, director of customer service for the airline. “That was also part of our responsibility.”
Instead of fixing the problem, the owner returned the dog and flew to the East Coast, leaving United to hold the leash. The CDC has suggested two courses of action United could take: send the pup back to China or leave it at the SFO. But none of those choices would end humanly.
“The initial options were very dark,” Passafiume said, his voice laced with emotion. “He would be euthanized upon his return to China or shot locally.”
Passafiume and his SFO team refused to accept a tragic fate for Polaris, which they named after the airline’s business class. They decided to find a third way and reached out to the company’s government affairs teams in Washington and San Francisco for help. Staff lobbied for the CDC to reverse the decision. The agency granted Polaris a reprieve but ordered a four-month quarantine.
During the deliberations, Polaris had to live on the premises of the airport – shades of “The Terminal”, if Tom Hanks had four legs and a rustling tail. The staff built him a makeshift home in an office at the airport. The dog cave featured top-notch amenities like a dog bed, toys, treats and “24/7 childcare,” according to Passafiume. A dedicated team of dog parents walked, fed and entertained him. “More than 50 employees visited him,” he said. “He’s become a celebrity at SFO, that’s for sure.”
True to his star status, United transported him to the quarantine station in Los Angeles in style. “We flew first class to get him picked up,” said Passafiume, who escorted the pup. “He was so good the whole way down. He didn’t bark at all.
As Polaris wrapped up her quarantine, United staff members focused on the next and final leg of her journey: finding her a forever home. The airline asked the San Francisco SPCAwhich places 4,000 animals in homes each year, for assistance in the adoption process.
“I’ve worked in animal welfare for 25 years,” said Lisa Feder, chief animal rescue and welfare officer at the San Francisco SPCA. “We come across a lot of unique and interesting situations. It was a first for us. Doug Yakel, a spokesman for the SFO, also acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the case. “First I heard about it,” he replied, when asked if the airport had ever had any experience with orphaned animals.
Although the SPCA chooses the best family for Polaris, United has established a ground rule: only airline personnel can apply. “We really wanted him to go to someone in our United family, because of how much our team rallied around him,” Passafiume said.
The rescue center received 35 applications, which staff ranked in the top five. They then picked the winner’s name from the proverbial (dog’s) bowl. “We were a bit worried about the number of people who might apply,” Feder said.
Dale, a seven-year United employee who had recently moved to San Francisco with his wife, young son and daughter, finally had a home and a garden that could accommodate the family’s first dog. “I thought his story was amazing,” Dale said, “but honestly, I didn’t think we were going to be lucky.”
To his (but not his wife’s) surprise, the congratulatory call came. United held an adoption party for Polaris on Dec. 15 at one of its gates in Terminal 3. The celebrants, which included Brixton, a golden retriever with traveling band of comfort dogsate cupcakes and bone-shaped dog treats.
“Without a doubt the United team went above and beyond for this animal,” Feder said. “There’s a saying in the world of animal welfare: ‘A dog won’t change the world, but the world will change for a dog.'”
“I’m really going to miss him,” Passafiume admitted.
As for Polaris, he discovered the virtues of local travel, starting with the sights and smells of his new neighborhood in San Francisco.
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