Escaped poodle on tarmac delays flights at Japanese airport

Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Flights were delayed at a Japanese airport when a poodle being loaded onto a plane escaped and ran loose on the tarmac.

The Japanese Transport Ministry said the large poodle escaped from its basket Monday morning when it was being loaded onto a Japan Airlines flight at Tokyo's Haneda airport.

The dog ran toward the runway area, causing one of the hub's four runways to be closed twice for a total of 6 minutes. The ministry said 14 flights were affected by the canine's 8:50 a.m. escape.

The poodle was captured about 40 minutes after its escape with the help of the animal's owner.

Japan Airlines said it is reviewing the incident to see if loading procedures need to be changed to prevent future animal escapes.