Photo: Tampa International Airport
A woman who could not afford the pet fee to take her senior dog on a flight reportedly abandoned the dog at the Tampa airport.
Now he is in a better -- and safer -- spot.
The good Samaritan who rescued the dog said it appears to be a 14-year-old Shih Tzu mix and goes by the name ‘Bama.’ The dog was supposed to be getting on a plane to Miami, but when the woman carrying him found out she needed to provide his vaccine information and would have to pay a fee, she apparently left the dog behind and got on the plane alone.
"She left the counter and said she’d make other arrangements," Tampa Airport Police Chief Charlie Vazquez said. "She came back but before she came back, she kind of dropped the leash and walked off, left the dog on his own in the airport."
"It's dangerous to leave a dog at the airport," he continued. "We have the doors that open and close; the dogs can go out there and get hit by cars, which has happened before. We don't want it to happen again. She should have found a reputable rescue group and contacted them."
They contacted Corrin Smith of VIP Rescue, where Bama is now being taken care of. Smith says what happened was cruel. "It's disgusting. It's absolutely disgusting and unacceptable."
Instead of calling someone to come pick up the dog, or asking for help, police say the woman quickly discarded him.