Dog Reunited With Family After Stranded In Germany For 2 Weeks

CHICAGO, IL — A beloved family dog has been returned to his owners after spending nearly two weeks in Germany. Joey the dog was barred from flying to Chicago after his owners were already on their way home, according to the family's post on GoFundMe. One of Joey's owners was forced to fly back to Germany to bring the dog home, the family said.

Dawn and John MacEnulty said that Joey, a 9-year-old beagle and Australian shepherd mix, was scheduled to be on a separate Lufthansa flight, but was removed from the plane before takeoff.

The family was moving back to the U.S. after living in Germany, according to the GoFundMe post. They booked their flight through United Airlines for March 15, but used a separate company, Gradlyn Petshipping, to fly Joey and the family cat to Chicago. Gradlyn said that United had suspended its PetSafe reservations program, and that Joey couldn't fly with his family. He was instead booked on a flight departing 30 minutes after his family's flight.

When Dawn and John MacEnulty landed, they were sent a text message that said Joey had been held back because he displayed anxiety and scratched his nose, according to a report by ABC 7.

In a statement, Lufthansa said Joey was held back because a veterinarian who examined him deemed him unfit to fly. The company said it worked closely with United and would fly Joey to the U.S. for no additional charges as soon as approval was given.

The family said a veterinarian gave Joey Xanax before he flew to Germany a year prior, but they weren't able to get a German veterinarian to give the dog the same prescription for the flight back, according to the ABC 7 report.

Gradlyn said Joey had damaged two crates, and that no airline would agree to fly him until a vet gave the go-ahead. A video later showed Joey in a high state of anxiety, with blood on his nose from biting his kennel in a rage, according to the ABC 7 report.

Nearly two weeks passed, and John MacEnulty flew to Germany to get Joey, thanks to the GoFundMe page, which was set up to help with travel expenses. Helped by his beloved owner, dog was finally able to fly home.

According to the post, the family is overjoyed to be reunited with their four-legged family member.

Top image via GoFundMe, courtesy of MacEnulty family.