Polaris the dog was adopted by United Airlines Captain William Dale.

Traveling with your pets can be a bit of a complicated affair, especially when you’re traveling internationally. That is, at least presumably, the reason an anonymous international traveler chose to abandon their dog at San Francisco International Airport earlier this month. When the owner encountered difficulties with the paperwork for their ownership of the dog, they chose to surrender him and continue traveling without him.

Luckily for the dog, Polaris, there are procedures in place for these situations. San Francisco SPCA worked together with United Airlines to take custody of the dog and “worked to ensure the puppy completed necessary requirements to enter the United States, including a quarantine period.”

“United’s Customer Service team took on quite a challenge to ensure Polaris would be safe, healthy, and find a loving home,” said Lisa Feder, SF SPCA chief of rescue and welfare.

United Airlines Capt. William Dale and his family welcomed Polaris the dog into their home this month. https://t.co/GsSrXbXNmE

— ABC News (@ABC) December 28, 2022

“From the moment Polaris landed in our care, our entire SFO United team cared for him 24/7 until we were able to get permission to keep him safely in the US,” said Vincent Passafiume, director of customer service at United Airlines.

After a brief search period, Polaris was adopted by a United pilot, Captain William Dale, who resolved to give him a loving home. “I only hope that we can do half as good a job of taking care of him as the United staff did,” Dale said in an interview with the Washington Post. “More than one employee said to me, ‘You better take good care of him … or else.’ There was even a wag of a finger.”