A dog that had accompanied his owner on a vacation, and then got lost in Montana, was on his way home to Albany on Tuesday.
Kit, a 4-year-old Shiba Inu, had traveled across Canada for six weeks with his owner, Richard Solomon, 64, and a friend. When they arrived in Seattle, on a planned trip down the West Cost, Solomon began having breathing problems and went to the emergency room, said his son, Chris Solomon.
Richard Solomon flew home for more medical tests and treatment and his friend agreed to drive the car, and Kit, back to Albany. The plan went astray in Billings.
While it is not clear how Kit got lost, the people who found the dog called animal control on July 22.
“He was fully tagged,” said Kristal Ward, who works at the Billings Animal Shelter. “He had everything you can imagine on him.”
Finding the owner was easy. Getting Kit back home took a little longer because the airlines were booked for several days and weather was a concern.
Flying an animal from Montana to Albany requires stops in Salt Lake City and Atlanta, and cool enough temperatures in the plane’s cargo area at all the stops.
“I put him on the plane this morning,” Ward said Tuesday. “He was a very laid back little dog, and he didn’t seem really stressed or anything at the airport.”
Chris Solomon said the people at the shelter went above and beyond the call of duty in getting Kit on his way back home, including taking him to the vet to make sure he had all the paperwork to fly and getting an airline-approved kennel.
Ward got the dog, which looks like a little red fox, to the airport before 6 a.m., Solomon said.
“She fought with the airline people this morning and went through so much trouble, all out of the goodness of her heart, which is amazing.”
Chris Solomon, who said the ticket and kennel cost almost $400, expected to be able to pick up Kit at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
GAZETTE COVERAGE
Ensure access to everything we do, today and every day, check out our subscribe page at DailyGazette.com/SubscribeMore from The Daily Gazette:
Categories: Uncategorized
