Dog abandoned at Las Vegas airport finds a home with responding officer

On the night of Feb. 2 at Harry Reid International Airport, a fluffy goldendoodle was found tied to a metal baggage sizer at the JetBlue ticket counter as his owner walked away. Video later shared by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows the dog watching the departure gate as officers and airline staff tended to him.

Officers located the woman at a gate and reported that she had not completed the online paperwork required to travel with an animal; she was denied a boarding pass and then left the dog behind. Police charged her with animal abandonment and resisting arrest. Animal Protective Services took custody of the dog, and after the owner did not reclaim him the Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas accepted him and named him JetBlue.

The department’s post and the rescue’s updates quickly drew wide attention: thousands of people from around the world submitted adoption applications. The dog — described as about 2 years old — was placed with a foster, received veterinary care and was neutered, and volunteers described him as resilient and playful as he recovered.

In the end, JetBlue went home with Officer Skeeter Black, one of the responding officers; Black’s family had already been preapproved by the rescue and completed a home check. JetBlue airline contributed to the dog’s care, and the rescue used the public interest to hold an adoption event where the official placement was announced.

Beyond the immediate outcome for one dog, the episode highlighted how public attention can move resources and people quickly: the rescue urged those who applied to consider other animals in need, noting dozens of dogs remain in their care. For the volunteers and officers involved, the story became a quiet reminder of the difference that coordinated care and community interest can make for an animal’s next chapter.

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