Tarantula found at Puyallup hotel; somehow it finds good home

PUYALLUP, Wash. -- A big, hairy spider is not exactly what one wants to find when checking in to a hotel.

Luckily, this spider story has a happy ending.

Last week, a Chilean rose hair tarantula was found in an empty room at a Puyallup hotel.

The animal was in a tank, the Tacoma News Tribune reports, and likely left by a previous owner. Metro Animal Services was called to rescue the animal.

"We were guessing that maybe she bit the owner, or they didn't want her anymore," Jennifer Rollins of Metro Animal Services told the News Tribune.

Officers took the animal and contacted a local rescue facility that specializes in providing habitats for species not found in the area.

Carmen Palmer, a spokesperson for the City of Sumner, said finding a safe home for the animal is part of Metro Animal Services' job. The work Metro Animal does for participating cities is vital, Palmer says.

"Let's put it this way: how many of us would like to go in and handle a tarantula who is very cranky at having been abandoned by her owner," Palmer asked in an email. "Not Many! We're very grateful for this program and for the people who provide this service to the citizens and animals in our community."