Woman accused of drowning puppy in airport toilet after it wasn't allowed on flight

[Millennium]

Woman accused of drowning puppy in airport toilet after it wasn't allowed on flight

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 27 January, 2015, 3:42pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 27 January, 2015, 3:42pm

Agence France-Presse in Washington

A Doberman sniffs a Pinscher puppy in this file photo. A US woman has been arrested for allegedly drowing a Doberman puppy in an airport bathroom. Photo: AP

A Florida woman allegedly drowned a two-week-old puppy in a US airport toilet because she was not allowed to board a flight with the pet.

Cynthia Anderson, 56, was arrested on animal abuse charges, The Grand Island Independent newspaper said.

Anderson tried to board a flight at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport but was denied access to the plane because the Doberman was so young and not properly contained.

She tried to conceal the Doberman puppy in her carry-on luggage, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Dogs must be at least eight weeks old to fly on commercial aircraft under US regulations, it said.

Grand Island Police Sergeant Stan Steele told the newspaper that it appeared the woman then took the little dog to an airport bathroom, where she allegedly drowned it in a toilet bowl.

A female eyewitness saw Anderson entering the restroom before finding the puppy in the toilet, the Sentinel reported.

“The cause of death was determined to be drowning,” Steele told the newspaper.

Anderson had arrived with three puppies and two dogs, the remaining of whom are being cared for her by her family and the Humane Society.

The Sentinel reported that Anderson has a criminal record, including theft, robbery, battery and trespassing.