An English Springer Spaniel named Hendrix ended up taking a serious detour on his way from New Jersey to Phoenix, this Spring.  

He ended up in Ireland after airline personnel failed to transfer his kennel to the correct flight in the busy Newark airport.

United Airlines spokeswoman Megan McCarthy says the 6-year-old dog was traveling in cargo when the mix-up happened. When the error was realized, she says the airline took immediate steps to get Hendrix back to his owner.

Phoenix television station KNXV reported that the first word owner Edith Albach got about the mix-up was in a phone call from the airline, just before Hendrix’s original flight was supposed to land in Phoenix.

The owner’s daughter, Merideth Grant, said she felt like someone punched her in the stomach after finding out the dog had been sent overseas. “We didn’t know if  someone was feeding him, was he safe,” she commented. “We were really worried.”

However, Hendrix was speedily returned, and in a surprising move, the airline even apologized and offered a full refund.