A pet French bulldog belonging to new Brisbane Bullets import Lamar Patterson has been flown back to the United States after the basketballer tried to bring the animal into Australia in his hand luggage.
Patterson, 27, was detained at Brisbane Airport on Thursday morning when his dog Kobe was discovered in his carry-on bag following his flight from Los Angeles.
The ABC understands Patterson flew with his dog on an internal American Airlines flight, which permits pets to travel as carry-on luggage.
The basketballer then boarded his Qantas flight from Los Angeles, where the dog went undetected by cabin crew.
An Agriculture Department spokesperson said the dog was not declared and was seized at Brisbane Airport by Biosecurity officers.
Kobe has been sent back to the United States.
Patterson said Kobe had travelled in a dog carrier at the foot of his seat throughout the flight.
He said the incident came down to a misunderstanding and a "miscommunication between airlines".
"I'm surprised that no-one saw him — I've travelled with him all the time everywhere I go — he's been in and out of the country before," Patterson said.
"[Kobe] is a quiet dog — he doesn't bark, he's settled, he slept most of the flight — once I got to Australia the only reason people found out about him was because he started barking when he saw the search dog.
"I wasn't trying to scam my way into Australia with the dog — I just didn't know [the rules]. Everything is good, it was a misunderstanding — Kobe's on his way back to America now."
A Brisbane Bullets spokesperson said Patterson had contacted the airlines to determine whether he could travel with his dog.
"His [Patterson's] understanding from the feedback received from the airlines was that he was able to travel with the dog provided it was noted on his ticket, which he complied with," the spokesperson said.
"Lamar passed through security at LAX [Los Angeles Airport] with the dog and was not stopped or questioned, nor was he stopped or questioned when boarding the flight to Brisbane where he had the dog in the cabin in a dog carrier bag."
The basketballer was not penalised for breaking Australian biosecurity laws, but was fined for an error in filling out his arrival card.
Patterson regularly posts photos and videos of the dog on social media.
The situation mirrors the Pistol and Boo saga in 2016, when film star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard brought their two Yorkshire terriers into Australia on a private jet in 2016 without the proper paperwork.
Then-agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce threatened to have the dogs euthanised.
Patterson signed with the Brisbane Bullets earlier this week and the club said it hoped to have him cleared to play against Adelaide on Sunday.
