Dallas Family Calls NBC 5 Responds After Airline ‘Loses Dog'

From the moment Kennedy Hermansen laid eyes on a rescue dog named Grace, she knew she had to bring her home.

"She really was like, 'You're my person," Hermansen said.

The two live in Los Angeles. 

But Hermansen wanted to introduce her 14-week-old puppy to her family in Dallas, so she booked them a flight with Alaska Airlines.

"I spoke to Alaska Airlines representatives three times about what to bring because I wanted to make sure it was a safe check-in, smooth check-in," she said.

Hermansen said she checked her dog in and boarded the plane.

"I was like, 'Of course she's on board, of course she is,'" she said.

Meanwhile in Dallas, Hermansen's mom, Monica, said she received a message from Alaska Airlines that said they were dealing with a lost luggage situation they were trying to rectify.

Hermansen said a phone call from her mother followed shortly after.

"I just want you to know your dog is not on board. She was left at LAX," her mother said. "Somebody had dropped the ball."

"I felt like I failed her. I was just mainly scared that she would feel neglected," Hermansen said.

A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said in part:

“We made a mistake, and we're sorry about that. We want all of our guests - including our four-legged friends - to always have a great trip with us. During the check-in process in Los Angeles, Grace was moved in her kennel to the wrong waiting area….By the time the mishap was realized, it was too late to get her onboard the aircraft. We felt awful about it. Our team personally cared for grace overnight in our operations offices. They fed, walked and kept her entertained during her unexpected layover."

Alaska Airlines vowed to put Grace on the first flight to Dallas Love Field the next morning.

And after a long night of worrying about her fur baby, Grace was finally back in Hermansen's arms.

"I've got my puppy with me and she's good and I'm just ready to get home," she said.

While Hermansen was only without her dog for a short time, any pet lover knows the uncertainty of where the animal is can make a day feel like an eternity.

The U.S. Department of Transportation keeps records of lost animals in airlines' care, and these types of circumstances are actually pretty rare.

Alaska Airlines offered the family a $100 voucher. They declined and asked the airline to donate to an animal rescue.

Alaska Airlines agreed and the family said they were pleased with the outcome.