Woman Told Her Dog Needs a Crate to Fly, Abandons Pet at Airport

A female passenger who tried to fly to a resort with her French bulldog abandoned the animal in a parking lot after staff refused to let the pet on board, the local police department said.

The Allegheny County Police Department wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the dog was "found unattended in a stroller" by officers who responded to an incident at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday at 5:30 a.m.

Airline staff told the passenger that she needed to put her dog in a crate to bring it onto the plane, but the woman later left the dog "near short-term parking and proceeded to board a flight," police said.

A microchip was found on the dog, but the owner couldn't be contacted that day, the department added.

Police spokesperson James Madalinsky told Insider on Tuesday that the woman was flying to a resort and that she pretended her dog was an emotional-support animal. The airline officials, however, were not convinced and told her she still needed a dog crate to fly, the Madalinksy said.He added that the owner has since been identified after initial unsuccessful attempts to contact her, but Madalinsky did not say who she was. The police also didn't say where the woman was flying or which flight she had booked.The dog is being cared for by the Animal Friends of Pittsburgh, a local shelter, Madalinsky said.

The state dog warden is expected to file charges against the dog's owner. It's illegal under Pennsylvania law to abandon a dog, and convicted owners can face fines of up to $1,000.

August 9, 2023: This story was updated to reflect comment from the Allegheny County Police Department.