Fesgahi, Australian shepherd

Dog lost at airport reunited with owner
ELUSIVE: The Australian miniature shepherd slipped out of his kennel at airport.
By James Halpin, Alaska Daily News
07/02/09 10:28:47

An Australian miniature shepherd that escaped from its kennel at the airport and dodged authorities for two days was recaptured about 2 a.m. Thursday and reunited with its owner, according to the Department of Transportation.

This 10-month-old Australian miniature shepherd male puppy was found at the Anchorage airport after being missing for several days. The owners had placed a plea for help on Craigslist, along with this photo, in their efforts to find the dog.

Airport police and wildlife officials had been on the lookout for Fesgahi, who also goes by "Feski," and found him in some brush near the airport's fire station, spokesman Roger Wetherell said.

The dog was reluctant to come out, so officials called the owner, who came to the scene and coaxed the dog out from his hiding place after about 15 minutes, he said. It was unclear where or how Fesgahi spent his time at the airport, but he appeared to be in good health, he said.

"No injuries, just probably hungry and a little scared," Wetherell said.

Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport officials had been watching for the dog since it slipped out of its cage while airline employees were handling it Monday afternoon. The dog was being off-loaded from an Alaska Airlines flight about 3 p.m. when the kennel opened up and the dog escaped along Tug Road.

Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said the kennel popped open, allowing the dog to escape, when an employee lifted it because of how the kennel was constructed.

Fesgahi was skittish, and ran away from would-be captors trying to reunite dog and owner, Wetherell said. Airport officials spotted the dog several times during his jaunt but couldn't catch him, he said.

The dog's owner posted an ad on Craigslist on Wednesday asking for help finding the 10-month-old dog, which was running free in the south terminal cargo area. She wrote that the kennel had either been dropped or came apart while being unloaded.

"Fesgahi does not respond to his name, but he does know the commands "good boy" and "bad boy." He is about 10 inches tall, and belongs to a little 5 year old girl who is heartbroken that her puppy is missing," she wrote.

His owner did not return calls or an e-mail seeking comment Thursday.

Source: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/851396.html
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