Phoenix bound dog accidently gets sent to Ireland

It was dog, gone.

That's what happened to an English Springer Spaniel named "Hendrix" who was scheduled to fly from Newark to Phoenix this week and was put on the wrong flight -- to Ireland.

Six-year-old Hendrix was traveling in cargo on United Airlines on Thursday when he was put on the wrong flight, United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said Friday.

When the airline realized the dog had been put on the wrong flight, immediate steps were taken to return Hendrix to his owner, she said.

The first word owner Meredith Grant, got about the mix-up was in a phone call from the airline 10 minutes before the flight Hendrix was supposed to be on landed in Phoenix.

"I felt like somebody punched me in the stomach. I mean, that's my dog. That's like my child," Grant said.

While on the unexpected detour, Hendrix was walked and fed by United staff, and he was able to spend time with his owner when he returned to Newark before departing for his original destination of Phoenix, McCarthy said.

Hendrix was scheduled to arrive in Phoenix Friday night, according to the airline.

United apologized and offered a full refund, Grant said.

But she says she isn't so sure Hendrix will be flying again anytime soon.

"I wasn't even looking for a refund. I just wanted somebody to say we screwed up," she said. "That's not what they said."

"Obviously they take better care of people's bags than they do dogs. To them it's just an animal. What do they care?" Grant added.