Woman charged for intentionally ditching dog at Pittsburgh airport as she reportedly went on Mexican vacation
A Pennsylvania woman has been charged for intentionally abandoning her dog at the Pittsburgh International Airport, according to police.
Allison Gaiser, 44, allegedly went to the Pittsburgh International Airport with her French bulldog on Aug. 4. She was reportedly departing on a flight for a vacation in Mexico. However, the airline denied the dog to travel on the plane because it didn't meet the criteria for an emotional support animal and did not have a proper kennel as required.
Surveillance camera purportedly caught Gaiser leaving the ticket counter with her dog in a stroller. She is reportedly seen pushing the stroller toward a moving walkway enclosure, next to the exit doors in the airport's short-term parking lot.
Around 5:30 a.m., police reportedly discovered the abandoned dog about 40 minutes after she was seen on surveillance video.
The Allegheny County Police Department said in a statement on a Facebook post, "Investigators determined Gaiser intentionally abandoned the dog near short-term parking before boarding a plane to a resort destination in Mexico."
The dog, a 7-year-old brown-and-white male French bulldog named "Frenchie," was found not restrained in the stroller. There was reportedly a bag of dog food under the stroller.
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The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported, "The microchip revealed the owner’s name as Alicia Gaiser, with two phone numbers and two emergency contacts with numbers. Police said they were not able to reach anyone at any of the numbers. Police found a Facebook page for Gaiser which had pictures of her with the dog."
A county police sergeant was waiting for Gaiser when she returned to the airport from her Mexican vacation at around 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 10. Police said Gaiser admitted to leaving the dog unattended to at the airport after Frenchie was declined air travel, but claimed that she made arrangements with her mother to pick up the dog.
However, the police interviewed the mother on the same day, and she allegedly told investigators that she only found out about her "grand doggie" being abandoned at the airport on Aug. 5, when Gaiser’s ex-husband shared a news story about the dog.
Police examined text messages between Gaiser and her mother. They reportedly determined that it was apparent that no immediate arrangement was made for her mother to pick up the dog from the airport.
According to court records, Gaiser was charged with a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals, neglect of animals, cruelty to animals, and abandonment. Gaiser's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16.
Meanwhile, Frenchie the French bulldog was taken to Animal Friends – an animal care facility. Authorities said the dog is now living in a foster home and is "doing great."
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Adorable French Bulldog Abandoned in Stroller at Airport www.youtube.com