Virgin worker's sweet act for 'petrified' dog owner: 'I was a mess'

A Virgin Australia worker has been praised for his kind note to a woman worried about her beloved dog’s journey across the country.

For the past five years, Rose Schofield, 23, and her dog Kara have lived in Gymea, south of Sydney, with her parents Vicki and Ian.

But earlier this year, Rose and her partner James Kiss, 24, decided to relocate to Perth for work and a change, opting to fly seven-year-old Kara over after they had settled in.

With their ducks now in a row, Rose told Yahoo News Australia she booked Kara on a Virgin flight on Friday through the company Petflyers.

“I was a mess and was just getting so worried and nervous for her flight just thinking of all the possibilities that could go wrong and what she'd be thinking most of all,” she said.

“I was petrified that she would think she was being abandoned again and would be so scared as it is a long flight.”

In an attempt to ease her concerns, Rose posted in the Everything Sutherland Shire Facebook group last week, asking if anyone working for the airline or at the airport could provide her with updates about Kara.

“I got a lot of kind comments but unfortunately nothing to do with anyone working there or being on her flight,” she said.

Around 4:30am on the morning of Kara’s flight, Rose received an emotional call from her mum letting her know Kara had been picked up.

Hours later she woke up again to see she had a message request from a Virgin employee named Jason Thornhill.

“Hey there, I saw your post on Everything Sutherland Shire about Kara! I work for Virgin at Sydney and thought you may appreciate an update,” the note reads.

“She’s all smiles and just waiting to be loaded onto the plane right now.”

Along with his kind message, Jason included a photo of Kara smiling while sitting in her crate.

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Dog owner breaks down: 'Happy tears'

Rose said she immediately started crying “happy tears” after seeing her pet’s face.

“I can't express my gratitude towards Jason and I don't think he realised how much happiness he brought myself, my partner and my parents,” she said.

“He calmed our nerves so much and after that I wasn't as worried.”

Rose and James picked up Kara — who was abused and neglected before being adopted in 2017 — in Perth later that afternoon, completing their “little family”.

Photos show the beaming trio outside the airport.

“She has literally saved my life and is my entire world!” Rose said of Kara.

Virgin worker praised online

Following the trip, Rose praised Jason’s ‘amazing’ act on Facebook, attracting thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.

“This is wonderful news,” one woman said.

“This is so bloody cute!” another wrote.

“My heart is so full reading this,” a third person chimed in.

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