When They Found This Pooch In An Airport Bathroom, They Couldn’t Believe The Tragic Note Left Nearby

A lot of things get left behind in airports. Luggage, purses, coats, jackets and electronic devices.

Airport security thought they’d come upon everything. Until they found a tiny dog carrier in an airport restroom. Inside it, an incredibly small puppy.

They were pretty sure it hadn’t really been abandoned; it was happy and healthy. So, they planned to wait a while with it until the owner showed back up. It’s illegal to leave any package in an airport, and certainly not one with a living breathing creature inside.

It’s illegal to leave any package in an airport, and certainly not one with a living breathing creature inside. They assumed that the owner had just stepped away for a moment and lost track of time.

But, the owner didn’t show back up. And, when one of the security personnel noticed a note which had been left nearby they learned why.

The words scribbled hastily on a scrap of paper were heartbreaking.

“Hi! I’m Chewy! My owner was in an abusive relationship and couldn’t afford me to get on the flight. She didn’t want to leave me with all her heart but she has NO other option. My ex-boyfriend kicked my dog when we were fighting and he has a big knot on his head. He probably needs a vet. I love Chewy sooo much please love and take care of him. xoxoxoxo”

They hurried the little dog to the security office, where animal care authorities were contacted. Soon, little Chewy the Chihuahua ended up with Connor and Millie’s Dog Rescue (CMDR) in Las Vegas.

It’s hard for most of us to imagine leaving an animal we love behind when we step on an airplane. But, none of us know exactly what Chewy’s owner had been through.

Sometimes, the human need for flight from situations our brain and heart can’t handle take over our common sense. Obviously, the owner had planned to take Chewy with her on her flight from an abusive situation. She wanted to be with Chewy.

When she realized she didn’t have enough money to get Chewy a ticket (it’s ridiculously expensive to fly animals with you on a plane) she did the only thing she probably thought she could.

Who knows how hot on their heels that ex might have been? She might truly have believed she didn’t have time to do anything any differently.

When she realized he could not go with her, she put him in a visible spot, hoping someone would find him that would see to it that he was cared for. Her plan worked.

Although, airport officials and rescue workers sternly remind everyone that this is not a good option to ever consider. It was just as possible that little Chewy could have ended up in a very different situation. In a life much worse than the one from which they were fleeing.

Once a veterinarian had deemed little Chewy healthy enough to find a permanent home, the staff at CMDR placed him a foster home for evaluation and to give him time to heal a little more thoroughly. He had been through a lot in the three or four months of his life!

Foster mom Patricia Montano was happy to let Chewy heal with her for a while. Although he had no life-threatening or permanent injuries, he still suffered from the trauma he’d been through.

Chewy “…had a pretty good bump on the side of his head. He also had some really bad pain in his jaw. He yawned and there was just this gut-wrenching scream,” Montano told News3LV about Chewy’s condition when he first came to live with her.

Little Chewy accomplished quite a lot for a little 2-pound dog. “I think he really set the stage for people to talk about domestic violence,” Montano said.

The foster mom believes Chewy’s story has also raised awareness about the resources available to domestic abuse victims with pets, like Noah’s Animal House — a Nevada animal boarding facility that cares for the pets of abuse victims until they are able to look after them again.

She also hopes Chewy’s original owner sees the update on their former pup and knows that the little Chihuahua she loved so much is doing well.

Once the news about the discovery of Chewy in the Las Vegas airport restroom was made public, thousands offered to give him a permanent home. The rescue group carefully considered every application.

They finally chose one wonderful home, right there in Vegas so they could keep in touch with him. It was requested that the family name not be made public. They want Chewy to finish growing up being “just a special pet.”

They are grateful for all the donations and prayers that wended his way when it was needed, but now they want him to have the regular calm family life he deserves.

We hope that Chewy’s owner has found that as well. We all deserve a safe home with someone who loves us.

Note: Thanks to Connor and Millie’s Dog Rescue, Chewy received a second chance for love. Give an unwanted pet the gift of a furever home. Every pet deserves a second chance. And, if you or someone you know is struggling to keep their furever family together, the KEPPT program can help. The Keeping Every Person and Pet Together (KEPPT) program is an owner-surrender intervention program designed to help keep your pet in your home and out of the shelter. There is ALWAYS a better option than giving up an animal you love.