A woman from San Diego is on a mission to find her missing dog … which is believed to be thousands of miles from home and a continent away from where she should be.
Nala boarded a Delta flight in San Diego, headed for a new home in Germany with her owners.
The German shepherd mix somehow "vanished" from her locked crate during a layover in Atlanta last week.
"It has 2-inch bolts all around it, a metal cage on the front, they twist-tied it," Alisa Miller said on Thursday. "A dog cannot break out of that. But they told me they swapped her into one of their kennels, and I don't know what that looks like because they haven't showed me yet."
Now Miller is searching in an unfamiliar city, hoping for any sign of her beloved pooch. She said Delta managers were slow to react but finally sent her someone to help search and post fliers. The airline is offering a $1,000 reward, but Miller believes it may be too late.
”I don't know how ... she's never ran away before," Miller said. "I don't know where she would go. I don't know where to look. I don't know this area. I don't even know if she's alive. I'm praying that I find her. I know that dogs show up weeks and months later, and I'm praying that I find her."
The family is moving to Germany due to Miller's husband's army assignment.
Their second dog made it to Germany safely.
Miller started a Facebook page called Help Find Nala to try to reach people outside of Atlanta. She made this plea to the public: “If you see my dog -- any dog -- please call the shelter. Have them pick her up right away -- it's freezing cold here."
Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott told NBCSanDiego that "we are devastated by this. A number of our agents have animals of their own and feel terrible that it happened. They're working very hard to try and track the animal."
The airline has also offered to help the family get another pet if Nala is not found.
