A Texas couple was eager to head out on a long-awaited vacation to Las Vegas, Nevada. They packed everything they thought they needed and made their way to Lubbock airport, excited to finally get on their flight.
Once they arrived, they expected the baggage check to be routine and quick, with no delays between them and their getaway.
What they didn’t anticipate was that one of their bags would come in six pounds over the limit.
Their Chihuahua Had Other Plans
Just as Jared and Kristi Owens were getting ready to board the plane, airport staff informed them that one of their suitcases was overweight and needed to be checked.
They were surprised but stayed calm and followed instructions. But when they opened the suitcase, they realized something inside was moving.
To their shock, a little face peeked out of Jared’s boot—it was their senior Chihuahua, who had somehow crawled into the bag without anyone noticing during packing. Jared was especially stunned.
“You know it’s going to be an epic trip to Vegas when you get to the airport to check your bags….6lbs overweight, and out pops a chihuahua from your boot!! Unreal!” Jared wrote in his Facebook post.
While the moment was surprising, it made sense the more they thought about it, this was classic Icky.
“We were dumbfounded and flat shocked and embarrassed, to be honest. She loves to burrow in our laundry baskets, closet, blankets, wherever she can get nice, warm and comfy, and on that day, I guess she chose our suitcase we had left open with clothes in it for hours,” Jared told FOX 29 News Philadelphia.
Thankfully, one of the airport employees wasn’t alarmed at all; instead, she found the whole thing amusing and even sweet.
Helpful Airline Worker Steps In
The flight to Las Vegas was preparing to take off, and Jared and Kristi were still unsure what to do. They hadn’t planned to bring Icky along, but there was no time to take her back home.
That’s when an airline employee named Cathy stepped in. She loved Icky’s unexpected appearance and quickly offered to watch her until the couple returned. Jared and Kristi were beyond grateful.
“Shout out to Cathy with #southwestairlines for her awesome customer service!! She offered to watch Icky until we got back!! Let’s go!!” Jared wrote in the post.
With just a little time left, Jared was able to contact some family friends who headed to the airport right away to pick up Icky and take her home.
Even though they were slightly annoyed with their sneaky pup, Jared and Kristi still made sure to give Icky a proper goodbye before leaving her in good hands and then finally continued their trip.
In the end, they were thankful for how things turned out. If the bag hadn’t been flagged, they wouldn’t have discovered the unexpected passenger with a wagging tail and a smile.