A woman was arrested after allegedly abandoning her dog at a Las Vegas airport when she was denied boarding, and she left the animal tied to a baggage sizer at the ticket counter.
The incident happened on February 2 at Harry Reid International Airport, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The dog is now in rescue care and being prepared for adoption.
Police say officers responded around 11:30 p.m. local time to reports of a dog tied to a metal carry-on baggage sizer at the JetBlue ticket counter.
According to LVMPD, JetBlue employees told the woman she needed to complete proper paperwork for the dog to fly as a service animal. The documentation was never finished, and she was denied a boarding pass.
“She then left the dog behind and proceeded through the airport to the departure gate,” police said.
Owner arrested after leaving dog at ticket counter
Officers located the woman at Gate D1 and asked why she left the animal at the counter. Police said she told them the airline would not allow her to fly with the dog and claimed the animal had a tracking device, “implying it was acceptable to leave the animal behind and it would return to her.”
Authorities said the woman “became hostile” and “resisted officers’ attempts to detain her” as they escorted her through a security checkpoint. She was arrested and booked on charges of animal abandonment and resisting arrest.
The dog is now being cared for by Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas. Spokesperson Danielle Roth said airport staff acted quickly once they realized what had happened.
“From the moment airport staff realized what had happened, he was surrounded by kindness,” Roth said, thanking JetBlue ticket counter employees, TSA, LVMPD, Animal Control, and The Animal Foundation.
“Despite experiencing abandonment, JetBlue has shown nothing but love. He is affectionate, gentle, and incredibly social. He greets everyone with trust and warmth, which is honestly remarkable given what he went through,” she added.
The rescue is carefully considering next steps and plans to place him in what it described as a stable, loving home.
