A Germantown, Md. couple who eagerly awaited the arrival of a street dog they rescued from Egypt is now trying to find the animal, which bolted from its crate while being taken through the parking lot at Dulles Airport Wednesday night.

Would-be owners, David Scott and his wife—who Scott said was too distraught and did not want to be named—are waging a public campaign to find Ralphie, a German Shephard and Labrador mix.

They’ve made the appeal to local television stations, are creating fliers and have posted the loss on Craigslist. 

“My wife and I spent four and a half hours at the airport last night, in the cold and the dark searching for him,” Scott told Patch, as he drove back from Dulles on Thursday afternoon.

“If somebody has him, please call the local authorities, call the animal shelter,” Scott said. “We just want to make sure he’s OK.”

Scott said it all began last year. His wife met the dog while she was visiting family in Egypt. 

“She immediately fell in love with him and wanted to take him home,” he said.

They made the arrangements for the dog to fly to the United States with a family friend. That flight landed Wednesday night. Scott said Ralphie seemed timid.

“He’d been cooped up in a crate for 18 hours,” Scott said.

They made it to the parking lot, where there was a loud noise. Scott said Ralphie pushed his way out of the crate before he could be put on the leash.

“I chased him across the parking lot,” Scott said. But the dog ran farther and farther until he was out of sight.

“With what he’s been through already, spending his life on the streets—he’s almost died twice,” Scott said.

According to Scott, Egyptian street dogs aren’t popular. People try to poison them. They get attacked by other dogs. The couple hoped to offer this dog a better life, introducing him to their three other dogs.

“He’s just really scared, not knowing what’s going on,” Scott said. “I hope he’s somewhere taking care of himself. I hope someone finds him.”

Dulles airport spokeswoman Kimberly Gibbs said no one had reported finding the dog since last night. Gibbs said airport police were aware of the lost dog and were keeping an eye out as they make their regular patrols.

She said there were 12,000 acres of land at the airport, and there are also neighborhoods nearby.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Gibbs. “We’re sorry to hear about what happened and we hope he finds his dog.”

Scott has asked anyone who has seen Ralphie or may have information about where he is to call 240-388-0882.