Dog Gets Abandoned In Airport After Owner Learns She Couldn’t Bring Pet Without A Crate

A dog gets abandoned in the parking lot of Pittsburgh International Airport after the owner was told by the airline that it needed a crate to fly on Friday, August 4.

“Don’t leave your pets behind!” the Allegheny County Police Department (ACPD) wrote in a Facebook post on August 4.

“This morning at approximately 5:30 a.m., ACPD officers working at Pittsburgh International Airport were called to assist with a dog that was found unattended in a stroller on airport property,” ACPD revealed in the post.

Investigations found that the woman who owned the dog was informed by airline officials that she and her dog won’t be able to board the plane without a proper crate for the pooch.

However, instead of disembarking the plane and returning home, the owner chose to abandon her pup near the airport’s short-term parking and boarded the flight alone.

The ACPD was able to locate a microchip on the four-legged fella and attempted to reach the owner. Unfortunately, any and all attempts were unsuccessful.

Allegheny County police Sgt. Jason Donaldson told PEOPLE that “officers were able to identify the owner and learned the woman was flying to a resort destination.”

In a report by WTAE, Sgt. Jason Donaldson also revealed that the dog’s owner tried to fly with the dog under the guise that it was an emotional support animal, but was unsuccessful.

Furthermore, the dog was identified as a 7-year-old French Bulldog. The pooch is, thankfully, in good condition and is currently under the care of the Pittsburgh-based shelter, Animal Friends.

Animal Friends released a statement two weeks ago saying, “We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of interest and support in the case of the dog suspected of being abandoned at the airport.”

“We are unable to comment at this time about the details of this cases or the health status of the dog because it’s an active investigation,” they continued.

However, the shelter ensured people that the dog is “receiving the highest quality of care from the team at Animal Friends.”

As for the owner, the ACPD reveals, “A charge of animal abandonment is expected to be filed against the owner by the state dog warden.”

UPDATE: The Allegheny County Police Department shared on Facebook that charges have finally been filed against the dog’s owner, a 44-year-old woman named Allison Gaiser.

Gaiser has been charged with one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, along with summary violations of animal cruelty, animal neglect and abandonment of animals by owner.