B.C.-bound dog lost at U.S. airport before Air Canada flight confirmed dead

VANCOUVER – A dog that escaped from Air Canada employees at a California airport while en route to British Columbia is dead after apparently being hit by a car.

Larry the Italian greyhound bolted from handlers at San Francisco International Airport earlier this month and was last seen several kilometres from the airport.

The dog was being shipped to a family in Campbell River, B.C., by its temporary American owner, Jutta Kulic, who was relocating the dog after its original owner died.

Kulic says she received a call from a veterinary hospital earlier this week that confirmed a passerby found Larry on a nearby highway shortly after he disappeared.

Kulic says Larry was hit by a car, and the veterinary hospital put him down because of its injuries, though it didn’t realize it was the same dog until a few days ago.

Air Canada issued a statement saying its employees were sad to learn of Larry’s death and the company has reiterated its animal care policies to its workers.