A 57-year-old woman from Louisiana has been arrested after allegedly drowning her miniature schnauzer in an airport restroom, moments after being informed by an airline agent that she lacked the necessary documentation to bring her pet onboard.
This deeply disturbing incident occurred on 16 December 2024, when Alison Lawrence, of Kenner, Louisiana, attempted to fly to Colombia with her dog, Tywinn. Upon arriving at the airline counter, she was informed she lacked the required paperwork. Dogs travelling from the US to Colombia need both a health certificate and a rabies vaccination certificate issued by a veterinarian.
Shortly after her interaction with the agent, security cameras show her entering the restrooms, near the ticketing area, with Tywinn and exiting alone less than 20 minutes later.
A janitor allegedly saw Lawrence cleaning up water and dog food from the floor of a toilet stall but was called away to an emergency elsewhere. When he returned, he found the dog’s lifeless body in a bin and alerted a superior. The dog was easily identified as Lawrence’s, as it was wearing a companion vest, collar, rabies tag, and had a dog travel bag and a bone-shaped tag with her name and contact information. The dog also had an implanted microchip.
Lawrence boarded her flight and travelled to Columbia and from there flew on to Ecuador.
She later returned to the United States and was arrested last Tuesday, 12 March, in Clermont, Florida. She was charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a third-degree felony in the state of Florida. This charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine, and five years’ probation.
She has since been released five hours after being booked into Lake County jail on a $5,000 bond.
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority issued a statement saying, it is fully cooperating “with all law enforcement officials regarding possible criminal activity on airport property”, and urging passengers with pets to visit the TSA website “to learn how to travel with small pets through the airport”.
Florida State Senator Tom Leek, who has filed a bill to strengthens penalties for animal cruelty said “This is yet another horrible example of why I filed [the bill]”. He expressed his determination on having Governor Ron de Santis sign the bill into law once it passes.
