Delta Airlines accused of holding this dog hostage for 33 hours

It took about 33 hours to get Bunny back, according to Nguyen. Photo / Instagram / Mary Nguyen

A Minnesota woman is speaking out against Delta Airlines and a Guatemalan airport, claiming her eight-month-old puppy was held captive for 33 hours because the airline lost her paperwork.

Mary Nguyen, a 25-year-old student living in Minneapolis, decided to relocate her German Shepherd named Bunny to Guatemala so he could live with her husband, Santi Sanchez, reported CBS News.

To make sure her pup would arrive safely, she went through the long and expensive process of getting the proper paperwork in order so the dog would arrive safely.

The process included driving to Wisconsin to have the paperwork endorsed, and paying Pet Air Carrier US$3000 to transport her on the flight, according to MarketWatch.

However, after arriving in Guatemala, Nguyen claims Delta misplaced the hard copy of the paperwork, and would not release Bunny from custody until another copy was delivered to them.

"They have all the documents they need on their scratch pad to release her but refuse to do so without the hard copy that they lost," she told CBS on Friday.

"The document has been in their possession the whole time since I've surrendered my dog over and now they won't release my dog due to documents that they lost," she explained.
Bunny left Minneapolis at 5.25pm on May 24, and was finally released from custody into her owners' loving arms late Friday evening.

Nguyen told Marketwatch it took 33 hours for Bunny to finally be released, and alleges Delta agents said she had to pay an additional $3000 before Sanchez could pick up the dog.

Once Bunny was back at home, her owner posted a photo to Instagram, saying: "THANK YOU EVERYONE! Bunny has been released from @delta and we're just waiting to be given the okay to be able to take her home now. Bunny's got several open wounds on her, we will be taking her to a vet the minute we can."

According to MarketWatch, the reason why moving Bunny to Guatemala was so complicated is because most countries require vaccination records and a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.

Additionally, due to the fact Bunny weighs 72 pounds, the dog required a specific type of crate which is only permitted on certain planes.