Photo: LVMPD A serious and sad case of cruel dog abandonment in Las Vegas. A woman has been arrested and charged after abandoning her dog at Harry Reid Airport in Las Vegas.
The recording of the incident, which occurred on February 2, was published yesterday (February 19, 2026) by the LVMPD (local police) and left news channels in the United States and netizens in shock.
The police officers also had difficulty hiding their feelings, and the official police Facebook page stated: "We don't believe we need to say this... but please don't abandon your dog at the airport, or anywhere else."
According to the police, on February 2, 2026, at around 11:39 p.m., LVMPD officers stationed at Las Vegas International Airport were called to Terminal 3 after receiving reports of a dog tied to a baggage conveyor at the JetBlue airline check-in counter.
Apparently, during the incident, the airline staff informed the dog’s owner that she was required to complete an online form to fly with the animal as a service dog. Since that did not occur, the woman's boarding pass was denied. Shortly after, she left the dog behind and continued to the departure gate.
Police later located the woman who abandoned the dog at Gate D1. When asked why she abandoned the dog, she stated that the airline would not allow her to fly with it and claimed that the dog had a tracking chip, so she could return it to her.
The officers, who did not receive an answer, escorted the woman back and forth through the airport security systems, at which point they said she also resisted and was arrested. She was charged with abandoning an animal and resisting arrest.
Airport workers and LVMPD officers immediately stepped in to care for the approximately 2-year-old Goldendoodle-Mini Poodle while the owner was checked out. Local animal control took the dog into custody. After the mandatory 10-day waiting period passed and the owner never returned, Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas adopted the dog.
Police also report that the dog, now affectionately named "Jet Blue" after the airline, is safe in foster care and will soon be moved to a new, loving home.