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Airport staff in Las Vegas made a distressing discovery after a passenger was told she could not board a flight with her dog due to missing paperwork.
Police say the woman left the animal behind and proceeded toward her departure gate, reports UNILAD.
Denied boarding
According to a statement from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), officers responded to Terminal 3 at Harry Reid International Airport on February 2 at around 11:39 p.m.
They had received reports that a dog had been tied to a metal carry-on baggage sizer at the JetBlue ticket counter.
“Airline staff advised the dog’s owner she was required to complete online documentation in order to travel with the animal as a service dog. When the required paperwork was not completed, the passenger was denied a boarding pass. She then left the dog behind and proceeded through the airport to the departure gate,” LVMPD said.
Confrontation at gate
Officers later located the woman at her gate. Bodycam footage released by police shows her reacting angrily when approached.
“I’m gonna throw my bags down because I’m exhausted,” she said, according to the video.
An officer responded: “No, what we’re gonna do is walk you back to where your dog’s at and give you a citation, because you left your dog at the ticket counter.”
When the traveler said she was attempting to rebook her flight, the officer replied: “So you walk down here? To rebook your flight? And left your dog there?”
Police said she was arrested on suspicion of animal abandonment and resisting arrest.
Dog rehomed
Authorities said the goldendoodle was taken in by Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas. The organization has since renamed the dog “Jet Blue” and is working to place it in a new home.
Police added that the woman has not attempted to reclaim the animal.
Sources: UNILAD, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
