We’re all used to flight delays due to weather, air traffic, or other technical issues. This is certainly nothing out of the ordinary, especially in New York’s congested LaGuardia Airport.

This time though, the culprit was quite unusual: a 30-pound Rhodesian ridgeback puppy called Byrdie. The pup escaped from his crate and ran across the runway, grounding all flights in that part of the terminal.

After unsuccessfully trying to stop the pooch, officials finally tracked down the owner and stopped her Memphis-bound plane before it took off.

Varner, a 26-year-old woman from Manhattan was surprised by the call from airport officials. .

“She was just standing there,” Varner recalled as she reached her scared pup. “She didn’t want to come to them. But she came right to me, and we got her.”

The pup was returned safely to her owner. And similar to other flights from LGA, Byrdie caused about 30 minutes of flight delays.