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BERLIN (AP) — Most flight attendants have a tale to tell of long-distance relationships, but this one has a happy ending that's enchanted legions of social media users worldwide.
It all began in February, when a Lufthansa employee flew to Argentina and encountered a stray dog outside her hotel.
"I stroked him, gave him some food and we took a walk through the streets," Olivia Sievers said in an email Friday. "I had a feeling that this dog was looking for a human friend."
Sure enough, he found one in Sievers. "I gave Rubio my attention and my time," she said.
On Sievers' next trip to Buenos Aires her four-legged friend was again waiting at the hotel. And again the next time after that.
The long-time animal rights activist brought him flea and tick medication and even attempted to find a home for him in Buenos Aires, but he'd clearly lost his heart to Sievers.
His dogged persistence paid off last week, when the 45-year-old took him back to Germany.
Rubio — Spanish for "blond" on account of his golden fur — is now enjoying his new family in Germany, who also include Enzo, a corgi-basset mix, and Rottweiler Baerchen.
Meanwhile, Sievers has received more than 3,000 friend requests on Facebook after Argentinian TV station Canal 13 first reported about the trans-Atlantic love story, triggering a flood of news reports around the world.
Sievers said she hopes the overwhelming interest will prompt more people to consider adopting strays.
"Street dogs can be loyal and lovable too," she said.
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