Back in February, in the dead of an Omaha, Nebraska winter,
a mama dog and her nine tiny puppies were found abandoned.
They were discarded like trash in the dumpster area of an apartment complex. Any number of terrible things could have happened to them -- with
temperatures often dropping below freezing at that time of year, and
a busy road just steps away, one shudders to think
what could have occurred had two residents not found them and brought them to safety.Sign the petition to demand justice for these neglected, abandoned puppies and their mother!The puppies reeked of urine, and the mother was clearly showing signs of starvation.
The signs of neglect were obvious and hearbreaking.
At the time of the crime, all authorities had to go off of was residents' description of a vehicle and a man in a ski mask, which was corroborated by a security camera photo. Now, months later, the man responsible for this dog family's abandonment has been arrested…but he is only facing misdemeanor charges, which leaves the door open for him owning, neglecting, and abandoning animals again in the future.
The man was arrested because he had appeared at the sheriff's office to try to obtain a handgun permit, and luckily that required a background check that flagged him as the person identified by evidence from the night of the cruel abandonment.
If he is capable of committing such cruel neglect and dooming so many defenseless animals to die, it cannot be a good idea for him to own a firearm.And yet, because he is only facing misdemeanor charges, he could go on to obtain a handgun
and own animals again in the future! History and research tells us that animal violence and neglect is escalatory, meaning things could get much worse if action isn't taken to stop this man from committing another offense. People who harm animals are also more likely to harm other people, making his desire and ability to own a handgun very concerning.
While these puppies and their mother are now safe and sound, it could have easily gone another way.
If we don't stand together and demand true justice, who knows how many more animals or people could be in danger. That's why we're asking that, as a part of his sentencing, this man be barred from ever owning animals again. We're also asking that he be banned from owning a firearm based on his history of animal cruelty. Sign the petition if you agree!