United might have mistakenly sent Kansas-bound dog to Japan

It’s been a frightening week for dog owners considering putting their pet on plane.

First, there was a report Tuesday that a puppy died on a United Airlines flight after a flight attendant demanded that the dog’s owner stow him inside the overhead compartment for the duration of a three-hour flight.

Now, this: A Kansas-bound German shepherd may have mistakenly been shipped to Japan by United Airlines.

According to KCTV in Kansas City, Mo., a family moving from Oregon to Wichita paid to have their dog, Irgo, shipped as cargo on a United flight.

But when the family went to United’s cargo center at the Kansas City airport, they were met by a Great Dane that was inside a pet carrier that looked similar to Irgo’s. United staff determined that the Great Dane was supposed to have been en route to Japan, and that Irgo could possibly be on the plane to Japan instead.

When Irgo’s family spoke to KCTV on Tuesday, United still wasn’t certain of exactly where Irgo had gone.

Now, according to a statement from United Airlines, Irgo has been located and is en route back to his family.