The owner of the suitcase had no idea that the dog had managed to crawl its way in to her luggage. She said that it must have let itself in while she was packing for the flight to Los Angeles.
The dog was found when the woman’s baggage was passed through security at the airport last Tuesday. The black, hard-sided case set off the unknown-contents alarm, leading officers to inspect what was inside.
When the suitcase was opened, the seven-year-old tan and beige-coloured Chihuahua was found snuggled amongst the clothes within the bag. It was later added to the America Transport Security’s Administration blog of prohibited items found in luggage which also includes a listing for 51 loaded firearms.
The officers worked with the airline to find the owner in the airport and return the suitcase and dog. Lisa Farbstein of the TSA said “The woman said that the dog must have climbed into the suitcase and curled up in the clothing while she was packing for her trip. (She) was shocked when we told her we had her dog.”
A picture of the dog posted on Instagram has attracted over 4,660 likes and over 1,500 comments. Uploaded by the TSA, it warned: “It’s always important to double check your bags before travelling, especially to make sure your chihuahua hasn’t stowed away inside one of them.”
The dog didn’t make it to LA with its owner. Instead, the woman’s husband came to the airport to pick the hidden extra traveller up and take it home, ending its voyage rather prematurely.
