Puppy re-christened ‘Jet Blue’ after original owner arrested for abandoning dog at airport check-in

A woman has been arrested after abandoning her dog at an airport check-in counter in Las Vegas, police say.

Footage of the incident at Harry Reid International Airport on February 2 shows the suspect approaching a JetBlue check-in desk seemingly ready for her flight, with a carry-on bag in tow and a golden doodle pup on a lead.

The dog appears in good spirits, bounding around and sniffing the area as the woman starts talking to an airline staffer. At one point, her carry-on case falls over, and she looks down at the dog, gesticulating with her arms as the conversation continues.

The woman then walks off-screen and reappears a few moments later; her dog trails behind, but is yanked up short when it reaches the end of its lead.

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Staff appear to confront the woman about leaving her dog behind, and she speaks with them again briefly before walking off – her pup watching forlornly as she disappears.

The check-in operator immediately makes a phone call, and other airport workers arrive to comfort the dog with pats and cuddles.

Airport security found the woman attempting to board her flight, at which point she was confronted by an officer.

“We’re gonna walk you back to where your dog’s at,” he tells her, in bodycam footage released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

“You left your dog at the ticket counter.”

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The woman, dressed in blue slacks and a black hoodie, says she was trying to rebook her flight.

The officer, clearly skeptical, appears to query why she’s at the departure gate: “So you walked out here to rebook your flight?”

“Yes,” she replies.

The officer persists: “And left your dog out there?”

The bodycam footage ends there, but the police department issued a statement explaining what had happened.

“On February 2, 2026, at approximately 11:39 p.m., LVMPD officers assigned to Harry Reid International Airport responded to Terminal 3 after receiving reports of a dog that had been tied to a metal carry-on baggage sizer and left behind at the JetBlue ticket counter,” the statement said.

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“Airline staff advised the dog’s owner she was required to complete online documentation in order to travel with the animal as a service dog. When the required paperwork was not completed, the passenger was denied a boarding pass. She then left the dog behind and proceeded through the airport to the departure gate.

“Officers later located the individual at Gate D1. When asked why she abandoned the dog, she stated the airline would not allow her to fly with it and claimed the dog had a tracking device — implying it was acceptable to leave the animal behind and it would return to her.

“While escorting her back through the security checkpoint, she became hostile and resisted officers’ attempts to detain her.”

The woman was subsequently arrested and booked for animal abandonment and resisting arrest.

Airport employees and police officers immediately stepped in to care for the approximately 2-year-old pup, the department said.

Animal Protective Services took temporary custody of the dog, awaiting his owner's return. She never did.

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After a mandatory 10-day hold period had passed, Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas stepped in to take over his care.

In its statement, LVMPD said the incident highlighted the department’s “zero-tolerance stance on animal abuse and neglect,” and issued a reminder that abandoning an animal was a serious criminal offense.

“We can’t believe we have to say this… but please don’t abandon your dog at the airport — or anywhere else.”

The pup has now been affectionately named “Jet Blue,” after the airline that employed some of the staff involved.

He is now safe in foster care and will soon be placed in a new, loving home, LVMPD said.

Police signed off their update with a love-heart emoji for JetBlue, who, it seemed, had been a very good boy indeed.