Mikey the dog found abandoned in airport parking lot, cops say. Now man is charged

A dog was abandoned at a Pennsylvania airport while the man accused of leaving him likely got on a flight, police say.

Now, the West Virginia man faces charges of abandonment of animals, neglect of animal and cruelty to animals, according to a Nov. 20 news release from the Allegheny County Police Department.

Mikey the dog was found in a parking garage at the Pittsburgh International Airport on Nov. 16, police said.

He had a dental infection and was taken in by a local shelter.

Police believed the 68-year-old man was flying to California and “spent time inside the airport before leaving the dog in the short-term parking garage prior to his flight,” according to an earlier news release.

Photos shared by police show Mikey with the man, then later tied to a pole next to a parking spot in the garage.

After Allegheny County police said they identified the man from Windsor Heights, they struggled to contact him, according to the release. The department decided to move forward with filing charges after consulting with the district attorney’s office.

Mikey isn’t the first dog to be abandoned in a parking area at the Pittsburgh airport in recent months.

In August, a small brown and white dog was found in a stroller outside the airport, McClatchy News reported.

When airline officials told the passenger the dog had to be in a crate to fly, the owner left their dog outside and got on the plane, Allegheny County police said.

The shelter that took Mikey in, Animal Friends, is working with the state dog warden to get a court order that would allow Mikey to receive “proper care,” police said.

Mikey is not up for adoption at this time.

This story was originally published November 20, 2023 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Mikey the dog found abandoned in airport parking lot, cops say. Now man is charged."