Owner Charged With Animal Cruelty After Abandoning Dog at Pittsburgh Airport

Police said the 44-year old woman intentionally abandoned her dog at Pittsburgh International Airport after the French bulldog was denied boarding for a flight to Mexico.

No dog gets left behind. Or does it?

A 44-year old woman is being charged with animal cruelty and related charges after she allegedly abandoned her dog at Pittsburgh International Airport before boarding a flight to Mexico.

Allegheny County Police said Allison Lyn Gaiser tried to bring her brown-and-white male French bulldog with her on a flight on Aug. 4. But the dog was denied boarding by the airline because it did not meet the criteria for an emotional support animal and did not have a proper kennel as required.

After leaving the ticket counter, Gaiser was seen on surveillance cameras pushing the dog in the stroller back toward a moving walkway enclosure, next to glass exit doors in the airport’s short-term parking lot. A county police officer found the dog unattended in the stroller about 40 minutes later, authorities said.

The dog—who was unharmed—was licensed and had an identification microchip. It was turned over to an animal care facility and is now staying in a foster home, where authorities said the dog is doing well.

A county police sergeant was waiting for Gaiser when she returned to the airport on Aug. 10. Authorities said Gaiser admitted to leaving the dog behind because the airline wouldn’t allow it on the plane, but said she made arrangements with her mother to pick up the animal at the airport. After police reviewed text messages between Gaiser and her mother, they said it was apparent that was not true.

Gaiser’s mother told county police she only found out about the incident when Gaiser’s ex-husband shared a news story about the dog being left at the airport.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.