A woman in the United States has been charged with animal abandonment after allegedly leaving her two-year-old dog at a Las Vegas airport, police reported.
Authorities say officers discovered the golden doodle/mini poodle tied to a baggage sizer at Harry Reid International Airport following tips from concerned travelers.
The dog’s owner was later stopped at a departure gate.
Police confirmed that the dog was initially taken in by Animal Protective Services, but since the owner never returned, a local charity later assumed custody.
The charity revealed it has been overwhelmed with adoption requests for the dog, who has been nicknamed Jet Blue, after being abandoned at the airline’s ticket counter.
Video footage of the February 2 incident shows a woman, who has not been named, walking up to the ticket counter with her dog and speaking to airline staff before leaving the animal on a leash.
According to police, she had been denied a boarding pass because she did not possess the necessary documents to travel with the dog as a service animal.
“When asked why she abandoned the dog, she stated the airline would not allow her to fly with it and claimed the dog had a tracking device – implying it was acceptable to leave the animal behind and it would return to her,” Las Vegas police said in a statement.
Police also noted that “she became hostile and resisted officers’ attempts to detain her,” leading to an additional charge of resisting arrest.
“We can’t believe we have to say this… but please don’t abandon your dog at the airport – or anywhere else,” the police added in a Facebook post.
Following a mandatory 10-day holding period at Animal Protective Services, the dog was placed in foster care after the owner failed to reclaim him.
Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas said it has been inundated with inquiries about Jet Blue.
