Lost dog WestJet put on wrong flight found safe near Hamilton airport

After a long, strange plane trip that began in Halifax and should have ended in Newfoundland, Terri Pittman has finally found her lost labradoodle Cooper — near Hamilton International Airport.

After enduring torrential rains overnight, Cooper was found wet and hungry by a group of residents early Friday. He was cold and scared, but otherwise in good condition.

Pittman, a Halifax resident who took a flight to Hamilton on Thursday after learning her dog was missing, said she was grateful for Hamilton residents’ help and enthusiasm in finding her pet.

“Knowing that people were spotting him running in the same area gave me more hope,” said Pittman, holding Cooper and surrounded by the people who helped track him down. WestJet lost and found Westjet lost property

“Thousands of people helped me. With all the [social media] shares, and people searching and calling. Random people messaged me asking how they can help, and they’re out around at three, four in the morning, looking around.” Hamilton Airport lost and found Hamilton Airport lost property

Pittman started getting calls about her dog around 7:30 a.m., from neighbours near the airport who had spotted him running through their backyards. They tried to approach him, but he ran off, scared.

Louis Atkinson, who lives in the area, first spotted Cooper running across a parking lot near a Tim Hortons.

“He was running, looked scared,” said Atkinson.

“I was coming out of Timmies, and I saw it run across the parking lot, so I chased it down to where it ran down this road.”

Put on wrong flight

Cooper’s adventure began Wednesday.

Pittman’s pet was supposed to travel from Halifax to Deer Lake, N.L., to be with her family while she and her roommate headed to Jamaica for a wedding.

Instead, WestJet put Cooper on a flight bound for Hamilton.