Eight-Week-Old Puppy Spent Two Days in a Crate After Delta Mishap
On March 17, eight-week-old puppy Ren and his litter mate set out on an adventure and ended up a nightmare. The puppies' breeder put them on a Delta flight from Virginia, which was supposed to stop over in Minneapolis (MSP) before landing in Boise (BOI) that evening.
Instead, Ren's new dad, Josh Schlaich, received a cryptic phone call Saturday evening from a "no-caller-ID" number, from someone claiming to be a Delta employee.
The caller said, "Hey, just wanted to let you know the dog's flight has been delayed, and the dog is going to stay the night here," Schlaich told local TV station KTVB. "They said, 'Here's the number of a person who's going to take care of it. His name is Chris. You need to call them if you want any more information. Thanks, bye.'"
The number Schlaich was given for "Chris" was out of service, and he called the airline several more times only to get hung up on. In frustration, Schlaich reached out to Delta via Facebook Saturday evening after exhausting his other options. The overall experience was "a culmination of uncaring customer service and bad logistics," Schlaich said.
The Schlaichs eventually received information that their puppy would arrive in Boise early Sunday afternoon. But, when they arrived, they discovered a further mishap – they were given Ren's litter mate instead, which was being adopted by friends of theirs who lived in the area.
Both dogs had somehow been routed to Detroit, where they were kept overnight at a boarding site. After that, Ren's litter mate made it safely in to Boise – but Ren had been misdirected yet again.
"It's very concerning to us as we didn't know where [Ren] was," Schlaich said.
By the time the family finally picked up Ren late Sunday evening, the eight-week-old puppy had spent two days in a crate, going from Detroit to either Los Angeles (LAX) or Las Vegas (LAS), then through Salt Lake City (SLC) before finally arriving in Boise late Sunday evening.
Sunday night, March 18, Schlaich updated the Facebook post to say:
"He has been delivered. He's safe. Local Delta reps (in Boise) did their best and were very helpful, but corporate and I will be having a thorough conversation tomorrow. Thanks to all for your support, and I hope that this was an anomaly of confounding factors for the Delta corporate cargo team."
Schlaich updated the Facebook post yet again on Monday afternoon, March 19, saying:
"Delta has been working hard to make this right for us since late yesterday afternoon, as this situation unexpectedly went a bit 'viral'. I appreciate their investigation and efforts into resolving the issue and deploying preventive measures to avoid future issues. We all know that organizations are made up of people - people that can innocently make errors and sometimes be careless with details. Regardless, pup seems happy and healthy, bringing him to the vet today. Thank you all."
Delta released a statement regarding the puppy mix-up:
"We know pets are important members of the family and apologize for the delayed shipment of a dog, which is now in the hands of its owner, after it was routed to the wrong destination. We have fully refunded the shipping costs and have initiated an immediate review procedures to understand what happened."
Delta Air Lines is the latest culprit in a recent slew of pet-related travel disasters. United Airlines repeatedly made headlines for several canine travel mishaps that took place just last week: a French bulldog puppy died in an overhead bin mid-flight, and three additional dogs were misrouted, one of which was later flown home from Japan via private chartered jet.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees