A rescue dog now enjoying its new life in Canada likely owes that life to COVID-19 after it got loose at Canada’s busiest airport last week. According to the National Post, Crystal, a white Spanish podenco, a particularly speedy breed related to the greyhound, led airport personnel on a 12-hour high-speed chase that shut down operations for an hour and forced at least two aircraft to go around. As dramatic as that sounds, Pearson International Airport in Toronto isn’t that busy these days and that likely gave the pursuers more latitude. Had the airport been at its normal tempo, Crystal most likely would have been shot because of the undeniable hazard she would have presented.
As it turned out, Crystal essentially took free rein of the airport after she got out of her crate following a 10-hour flight from Spain. “Boy, could she run,” said airport falconer Keith Everett, who said he spent hours cruising the taxiways and runways trying to catch her. He finally slipped a leash on the exhausted dog after it crawled under a truck. The dog was none the worse for wear beyond a damaged foot pad and is getting to know its new family in New Brunswick.
