Earlier this month we shared a sad viral story about a French bulldog who was abandoned at an airport by its owner so she could get on a plane. Now, there has been an update to the story — for both the dog and the woman.
On August 4, a 7-year-old French Bulldog was found in a stroller at Pittsburgh International Airport. Officers from the Allegheny County Police Department arrived on the scene; they attempted to contact the dog’s owner through its microchip but were unsuccessful.
It soon became clear that the dog had been left behind intentionally. Investigators learned that the owner had earlier been told that her dog couldn’t fly with her without a crate. According to Insider, the owner claimed the dog was her emotional support animal, but employees were not convinced.
Investigators also said the woman was not in an emergency situation and was traveling to a “resort destination.”
“We were able to determine that the dog’s owner had attempted to fly with the dog this morning and was denied boarding due to having an improper cargo container,” Allegheny County police Sgt. Jason Donaldson told WTAE. “In turn, the dog was abandoned, and the dog’s owner continued to its resort destination as intended.”
County police contacted the state dog warden to safely turn over the dog, Allegheny Police said in a Facebook post. Thankfully, the dog was reportedly in good health, and was taken in by Animal Friends’ Humane Society.
The story captured people’s attention online, with many expressing sympathy for the poor dog and criticising its former owner.
Weeks after the story broke, the Allegheny County Police Department shared an update. The dog’s owner, identified as 44-year-old Allison Gaiser, has been charged with one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, as well as summary violations of animal cruelty, animal neglect and abandonment of animals by owner.
They wrote that investigators determined that she intentionally abandoned the dog before boarding a plane to a resort destination in Mexico.
They also wrote that the French bulldog was “doing well” and is currently being fostered. He is not up for adoption, and the police encouraged anyone interested in adopting to instead consider any of the other adoptable pets available at Animal Friends.
No dog should be abandoned like that — we’re glad this French bulldog is doing well and the owner has been charged!
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