Authorities say the woman, who was told she could not ride her international flight, owned the animal in a toilet at Florida airport.
Allison Lawrence, 57, of Kenner, Louisiana, faces felony charges for what police described as “cruel and unnecessary death” of her white miniature Schnauzer Tywin.
Lawrence had gone to Orlando’s international airport with Tywin to fly to Columbia on December 16, 2024, the arrest affidavit alleges.
Paperwork issues prevented Lawrence from taking pets on international flights, Orlando police alleged.
After a few minutes of talking to the airline agent with a clear view of surveillance cameras, Lawrence entered the bathroom near the ticket area with his dog. She is said to have left the toilet without a schnauzer within 20 minutes.
According to reports, Lawrence quickly reentered the terminal and traveled to Columbia. The janitor is said to have found a woman in the bathroom cleaning water and dog food from the floor of a food stall.
The employee then found the dog’s body in a garbage container and reported the harsh discovery to the supervisor.
The dogs had companion vests, collars, rabies tags, dog travel bags, and bone-shaped dog tags with Lawrence’s name and contact information.
The embedded microchip provided investigators with Tywin’s identity. Necrosis determined that Schnauzer owned.
According to the Associated Press, US Customs and Border Patrol confirmed that Tywin’s owner was on a flight to Bogota, Colombia.
Police ultimately concluded that Lawrence “acted extreme and tragic by killing a dog.” They arrested her Wednesday in Lake County, Florida. She was reportedly released from custody on $5,000 bail until the outcome of the lawsuit.
According to USDA guidelines, dogs traveling from the US to Columbia must be accompanied by a health certificate issued by a veterinarian and a rabies vaccination certificate.
The Associated Press contributed to reporting
