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By Lori Aratani for The Washington Post
UPDATE, 5:04 p.m.: Qondor has been found. The dog was found at about 3 and reunited with his owner. They were scheduled to depart on a 5:15 flight.
Original post: A Norwegian Army patrol dog somehow escaped his crate before a flight at Dulles International Airport, and has been spotted running around the more than 12,000 acres of ground at the complex, NBC 4 reports.
Qondor, a 21-month-old Doberman, is a specialist in the Norwegian Army. He focuses on patrols and is being trained in explosives detection.
Qondor and his handler, Captain Gunn Anita Fossli, flew into Dulles last Wednesday for a dog training course in northern Virginia.
Their original flight back to Norway was canceled because of the volcano in Iceland. On Wednesday night they were offered a flight on Iberia Airlines. That was the last time Fossli saw her dog.
He somehow escaped from his crate at about 10 p.m.
Airport officials drove Fossli around to the places Qondor was spotted Wednesday night, but “they weren’t willing to do more than that,” Fossli said of Dulles officials. “It was dark and the fog was coming.”
“I don’t really understand why he was able to escape,” Fossli said. “His crate is OK. I’m really very worried about what will happen if I can’t find him now.”
There was a glimmer of hope Thursday morning. Fossli and airport officials drove around the southern end of the airport and spotted Qondor. They weren’t able to catch him, however.
Officials said they don’t believe the dog will be in any danger in that area, and they said no flights are expected to be delayed because of the search.
