Las Vegas, Nevada – On February 2, 2026, at approximately 11:39 p.m., LVMPD officers responded to Terminal 3 at Harry Reid International Airport after reports of a dog left tied to a metal carry-on baggage sizer at the JetBlue ticket counter.

Airline staff informed the dog’s owner she needed to complete online documentation to travel with the animal as a service dog. When the paperwork was not completed, she was denied a boarding pass and left the dog behind, walking on to the departure gate.

Officers later located her 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 would return to her.

While escorting her back through security, she became hostile and resisted arrest. She was booked for animal abandonment and resisting arrest.

Airport employees and LVMPD officers immediately cared for the dog, an approximately 2-year-old golden doodle/mini poodle mix. Animal Protective Services took custody of the animal. After the mandatory 10-day hold passed without the owner returning, Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas stepped in.

The dog, now named “Jet Blue,” is safe in foster care and will soon be placed in a loving home.

The incident highlights LVMPD’s zero-tolerance approach to animal abuse, strong collaboration among airport staff, TSA, animal control, and local rescue partners, and serves as a reminder that abandoning an animal is a serious criminal offense.

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