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A woman has been taken into custody at a Las Vegas airport after she allegedly left her dog tied to a baggage sizer at a JetBlue ticket counter and proceeded to walk away, according to law enforcement officials.
The incident prompted a response from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) on February 2. Authorities were informed that a dog had been left tethered to a metal carry-on baggage sizer at the JetBlue counter inside Harry Reid International Airport.
The woman now faces charges of animal abandonment and resisting arrest.
Video footage released by the LVMPD shows the woman, whose identity is obscured in the clip, arriving at the counter with her dog. She subsequently leaves, having secured the dog’s leash to the baggage sizer.
The abandoned dog, a 2-year-old goldendoodle-mini poodle mix affectionately named “Jet Blue,” was taken in by a local rescue organization following the alleged incident.
Officers told the woman that she would receive a citation for leaving her dog at the counter.
“Well, I was trying to re-book my flight,” the woman told police.
“So you walked out here to re-book your flight?” the officer responded.
“Yeah, that’s what they told me at the counter,” she said.
“To walk out here without your dog?” the officer replied.
According to LVMPD, airline staff told the dog owner she had not completed the required online forms to travel with the animal as a service dog and was denied a boarding pass. The woman then left the dog behind and went through the airport to the departure gate, police said.
Surveillance video shows a woman leaving her dog tied to a baggage sizer at a Las Vegas airport ticket counter, according to police. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
The woman allegedly told police the airline would not allow her to fly with the dog and claimed it had a tracking device, “implying it was acceptable to leave the animal behind and it would return to her.”
Police said the woman became “hostile” and “resisted officers’ attempts to detain her” as they escorted her back through the security checkpoint.
“We can’t believe we have to say this… but please don’t abandon your dog at the airport — or anywhere else,” the LVMPD said in a social media post.
After a mandatory 10-day hold period passed without the owner returning, the nonprofit Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas took custody of the 2-year-old goldendoodle mini poodle mix nicknamed “Jet Blue.” The rescue will place him in a new home.
A dog abandoned at a Las Vegas airport, later nicknamed “Jet Blue,” was rescued and is now being placed for adoption after a mandatory hold period. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
The group shared in a Facebook post this week that “Jet Blue” has received numerous applications and inquiries from potential owners.
“This sweet boy is incredible. Truly incredible. And after everything he’s been through, the thought of him ever experiencing abandonment again has us on very high alert,” the nonprofit wrote. “We will be extremely intentional in choosing his forever family. He deserves stability. Security. Commitment. A lifetime promise.”