A woman named Alison Lawrence, aged 57, from Kenner, Louisiana, is facing a felony charge after allegedly drowning her white miniature schnauzer, Tywinn, in the bathroom of Orlando International Airport due to issues with her paperwork that prevented her from taking the pet on an international flight to Colombia. Lawrence had gone to the airport with Tywinn on December 16, 2024, but after speaking with an airline agent, she was seen entering a bathroom with the dog and exiting without him almost 20 minutes later. Surveillance footage captured these distressing events. It is reported she boarded a flight to Bogota, Colombia, and later on to Ecuador. A janitor found the dog’s body in a trash container, and further investigations confirmed the cause of death as drowning. The dog had been equipped with a companion vest, collar, rabies tag, a dog travel bag, and a bone-shaped dog tag with Lawrence’s name and contact information. An implanted microchip also aided in identifying the dog. US Customs and Border Protection confirmed Lawrence’s travel plans. She was arrested in Lake County, Florida, on charges of aggravated animal abuse, a third-degree felony, and released on a $5,000 bail pending the outcome of her trial. Authorities highlighted that dogs traveling from the US to Colombia must be accompanied by a health certificate issued by a veterinarian and a rabies vaccination certificate, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/21/alison-lawrence-drowned-dog-florida-airport