On December 15, 2021, Reinaldo Junior was flying with GOL Linhas Aereas from Recife to Navengantes and had a stopover at Sao Paulo. Also onboard was Reinaldo’s five-year-old pet dog, Pandora.
Pandora wasn’t with her owner, and she was being transported in a kennel. Things took a turn for the worse in Guarulhos International Airport, and pandora was lost.
The airline reported that the dog had “bitten her way out of the kennel and escaped through cargo loading area”. Reinaldo requested to look for his dog in the cargo area himself, but his request was declined. Following the incident, he cancelled his trip and remained in Sao Paulo for the time being, looking for his dog. The news spread quickly, and the case became trending in Brazil.
This incident led to public outrage. GOL soon hired a “Busca Pet” company to search for the dog. The airline also paid for Reinaldo’s stay in Sao Paulo but just for three days. Reinaldo also filed a lawsuit against the airline. Video footage was also found where pandora was roaming freely. The airline says the dog somehow managed to escape the airport and was completely lost. This made the public even more outrageous. Many efforts were made, but the poor dog couldn’t be found.
Pandora, cachorra que sumiu em conexão da GOL, é encontrada após mais de 40 dias pic.twitter.com/qFiiqeQVk3
— UOL (@UOL) January 31, 2022
Then after more than a month, Pandora was found. Reinaldo even posted a picture on social media after their reunion. The airport says that pandora was found under a bridge in terminal 3 of the airport. However, she did lose around 8 kg while she was lost.
Commenting on this, GOL said,” On Sunday afternoon, GOL happily received the news that Pandora was found and is healthy. The company immediately offered additional assistance, such as an appointment with a veterinarian, and appointed an employee to accompany the process. Nonetheless, the owner of the dog rejected our help.” The airline is also offering Reinaldo free tickets back home.
Feature Image: “Igor Santorsula/Planespotters.net”
