Unfortunately, dog abandonment seems to have become a trend in some parts of the country.
What’s worse, many people no longer hesitate to do it even when they know they are being recorded by surveillance cameras.
This time, that was the thinking of one “ticketed passenger” who so casually left his dog tied up in the airport parking lot and continued his way.
It didn’t occur to him what consequences it would cause, but in the end, he didn’t deserve anything else.
He Was Cruelly Left Behind
On November 16, 2023, Allegheny County Police Department (ACPD) posted on their official Facebook profile that they found an abandoned dog at the Pittsburgh International Airport.
The title of the text was short and clear, but it contained a key message for all dog owners from the police itself: “There is no excuse for leaving your pets behind.”
“At approximately 1:15 pm today, ACPD officers at Pittsburgh International Airport were alerted to a dog that was tied to a pole and appeared to be abandoned in the short-term parking garage,” they wrote, adding. “Officers responded and were able to un-tie the dog, which fortunately appears to be in good condition.”
Later on, the dog was identified as a Chihuahua by WTAE. However, they couldn’t find the microchip, which made the search for the irresponsible owner much more difficult.
Still, this did not stop the police officers from quickly getting to work and trying to find the owner who did this cruel deed.
The Police Did A Great Job
The very next day, ACPD posted an update on their Facebook profile.
“We are looking to identify and speak to this man in connection with the dog left behind at the airport today,” they wrote, adding. “At this point, we believe he was a ticketed passenger who spent time inside the airport before leaving the dog in the short-term parking garage prior to his flight.”
In addition to that, they attached pictures of the potential perpetrator of this hideous act.
They asked all those who had any information about this man to contact their police station.
After several days of not posting anything about this case, a new update finally arrived on their Facebook profile. And, it was great news.
They announced that the County Police have filed charges against a West Virginia man after a dog was found at Pittsburgh International Airport five days ago.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out in response to this incident. Thanks to those tips, we have identified the person pictured as 68-year-old David Mittelberger Sr. of Windsor Heights, West Virginia,” they wrote.
They also added that they had learned that the dog’s name is Mikey and that Mikey had an active infection in his mouth and required significant dental care.
For this reason, he was transferred to the premises of the Animal Friends organization, where they would take care of him until he was ready for adoption.
This Was Not The First Time
This case takes on an even higher dimension if we know that the same thing happened just three months before at the same place.
On August 4, it wasn’t a Chihuahua that was abandoned, but a little French Bulldog. This Frenchy was left behind by an irresponsible owner who didn’t have a crate to put the dog in.
Investigators learned that the dog’s owner was told by airline officials that the dog needed to be placed in a crate in order to fly.
As the owner did not have a crate at that moment, it was easier for her to leave the pet there than to try to provide her with what she needed for the trip.
The same police department intervened. Even then, they had the same strong message for all dog owners, which they posted on their Facebook profile.
“Don’t leave your pets behind!” they wrote in the post.
However, it seems that this message was not strong enough to teach some irresponsible people a lesson about how to take care of their pets once they have already decided to have them.
Maybe Mikey’s owner read this message, but didn’t read the update about how Frenchy’s owner was also charged with violations of animal cruelty, animal neglect, and abandonment of animals by the police. That would probably make him think twice about his actions.
Nonetheless, justice was served in both cases, and little Frenchy got the new home he deserved.
Mikey is still in a temporary home, but we believe that he will soon find responsible, loving parents who will not even think of doing something like his previous owner did.
We also hope that this story will encourage other owners to be more responsible towards their loving pets and that it will reduce the growing trend of dog abandonment.