When Elvis was found wandering the streets of Sterling, Virginia, he had rescuers extremely worried.
The 10-year-old Chinese Crested mix dog was in horrific condition and needed immediate veterinary attention. Officials must have assumed Elvis' family would be worried sick about him, so they scanned his microchip in an attempt to find them. But the address that came up on the chip didn't lead to a worried owner. Instead, it revealed a heartbreaking scene --
an abandoned home with the bodies of two more dogs, dead and decomposing.Sign the petition to demand justice for Elvis and his poor siblings who didn't survive!The dead dogs were the same breed as Elvis, and
sources are calling them littermates.
The story of how this little family was torn apart is grim.Authorities finally tracked down the dogs' owner and got the whole story. Apparently, she had moved out of the house and hadn't been on the property since the spring of 2024. Elvis was discovered in October, and his dead siblings were not found until November -- which means
these poor dogs were left without food or water for at least five months.Can you imagine the absolute agony these pups went through, slowly running out of food and water? The state of the house must have been horrendous, as they were forced to urinate and defecate inside. According to investigators, the house had all of the telltale signs of extreme hoarding, meaning it was already a nightmare for these animals even before they began to die of dehydration and starvation.
Rescuers say that
Elvis must have escaped from the property "and survived through consuming trash, rodents, insects, and the bodies of his deceased littermates." The trauma that Elvis went through watching his siblings die and then fighting for his own life is unimaginable.
This woman could have surrendered Elvis and his siblings to a shelter if she wasn't able to care for them or take them when she moved; instead,
she decided to leave them locked up to slowly die, scared and confused. This is totally unacceptable.That's why we're asking that the responding authorities at the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office recommend a lifetime ban on owning animals for this woman.
She has clearly displayed that she is unfit to make compassionate, responsible decisions about the animals in her care. We must ensure that no other animals ever suffer the same fate at her hands.
Sign the petition demanding a lifetime ban on animal ownership be included in the sentencing for this woman!