DES MOINES, Iowa — A man has been charged with animal neglect and abandonment after he allegedly left his dog at the Des Moines International Airport on Dec. 29, the Animal Rescue League of Iowa said in a Facebook post.
A 24-year-old from Newark, New Jersey, is charged with one count of animal abandonment and one count of animal neglect for his involvement in the case.
The news comes less than a week after the ARL rescued the 1-year-old female dog outside of DSM International.
The ARL believes the man abandoned the dog after finding out the pet couldn't travel on a plane without a kennel.
Airline workers told the ARL that, when they informed the owner of the carrier policy, the owner left the airport with the dog before returning alone for their cross-country flight. Later, the dog — who the ARL has nicknamed Allie — was found tied up outside the airport.
According to a criminal complaint made against the suspect, he "had no intentions to reclaim the dog."
He is also accused of not providing the dog any food or water.
"This dog would have died if it was not for a witness," the criminal complaint states.
Allie will be available for adoption once she receives her spay surgery, microchip and veterinary services.
"Allie is incredibly sweet and is now safe in our care and loving attention from our staff team," the ARL's said in a post on Dec. 30.
ARL cited recent flight cancellations and airport chaos as a possible contributing factor, but made it clear in the Dec. 30 post that "the airlines weren’t to blame for a sweet dog being stranded."