Dog on Runway At Laguardia 6 Months After Jack The Cat Fell From Ceiling At JFK

Exactly six months after famous "Jack the Cat" fell from the ceiling into the Customs and Border Patrol office at John F. Kennedy Airport, another animal, this time a puppy, escaped from the custody of an airline and was found running loose on the runways of La Guardia airport.

Byrdie, a 30 pound Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, was supposed to be flying as "checked baggage" between LGA and Memphis on Delta when she escaped from her crate and was seen on the runway. She was unsuccessfully chased by Port Authority personnel but then came right to her owner after the owner was deplaned.

Six months ago to the day, Jack the Cat was found in the JFK Customs and Border Patrol Office after he had been lost by American Airlines. The cat had been missing for 61 days in the Terminal 8 building where American Airlines is housed.

Rhodesian Ridgeback Photo credit: WikiMedia Commons

Mary Beth Melchior, founder of the Facebook page "Jack the Cat is Missing in AA Baggage at JFK," which started the media frenzy about Jack last fall, was particularly horrified by the incident. "I can't believe this happened on the very day we are announcing the formation of our non-profit, Where Is Jack? Inc.. We are focused on doing everything we can to make people aware of the dangers that are currently associated with pets and air travel, and this really highlights how important this work is."

Where Is Jack? Inc. was founded by Melchior and by Jack's owner, Karen Pascoe, to educate and advocate for safe air travel for pets. The organization runs an educational/advocacy website and plans to present information about making air travel safe at various veterinary and animal advocacy conferences during the next year. The organization opened its general membership drive today, and hopes to recruit 5,000 members to help spread the word about the need for safer air travel options for people and their pets.

Where Is Jack? Inc. (a non-profit corporation) www.whereisjack.org

See Video: Runaway Puppy Stops LaGuardia Airline Traffic, Flights Delayed, Returns to Owner Safely