Lubbock Couple Finds Pet Dog Inside Overweight Luggage Before Trip

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One Lubbock couple found out just how loyal their family pet is.

If you've flown Southwest Airlines, then you probably know one of the big deals they offer is that bags fly free. There is a slight catch, though. If it's an overweight bag, a fee is charged.

When Kristi and Jared Owens arrived at Preston Smith International Airport in Lubbock recently, they checked their luggage before their Southwest flight to Las Vegas. The gate agent working that day, Cathy Cook, informed the couple that one of their bags was slightly overweight and they would either have to pay a fee or move some items to a carry-on bag. The couple did what most of us would do, move things around.

That's when they discovered Icky.

When the couple opened their luggage, they found their very loving and loyal dog, Icky, a five-pound rescue chihuahua, hiding inside one of Jared's boots. Jared and Icky have good taste, as the boots had Texas Tech's Double T logo on them.

According to the Washington Post, the couple and the Southwest gate agent were all surprised by the stowaway dog:

“Just coming out of the boot is Icky’s little bitty head bobbing up and down with her tongue out,” Jared said. “I wish there would have been a picture of our faces when we opened that up and saw that.”

The couple, naturally, was stunned.

“It was just surreal,” Kristi said. “Are we really seeing our dog in our suitcase right now? Is this happening?”

At first the couple thought they would get in trouble or that Southwest Airlines would think that the couple had put the dog in the luggage on purpose. But they didn't attempt to sneak Icky on the flight. Instead they believe Icky was sneaky.

The couple told the Washington Post that Kristi had packed the night before and Jared added his stuff in the morning, including those boots. The couple believes that sneaky Icky got inside somewhere in between the packings and because Icky likes to burrow and hide beneath blankets and clothes. And she didn't make a sound on the ride to the airport.

The folks at Southwest weren't upset and Cook, the Southwest gate agent, even offered to watch and take care of Icky while the couple went to Las Vegas so they wouldn't miss the flight. Fortunately, family was close enough to pick up Icky.

Hopefully the couple had a nice trip to Las Vegas. One thing's for sure: they'll never forget this trip.