No one convicted of animal cruelty should ever be allowed to care for animals professionally again.

In January 2026, a former veterinarian, Michael Terence Sauer, and his partner, Julia Evans Pickett, were arrested for multiple counts of animal abuse in Lexington County, South Carolina. Investigators found animals living in crates filled with feces and urine, some severely injured, some already dead. Veterinary drugs restricted to licensed professionals were also found in their home.

Sauer’s veterinary license had already been suspended in 2025, following disciplinary action in 2021 for negligent care that allegedly caused the death of animals. Yet he continued to treat animals, now without a license, and reportedly caused further suffering and harm.

This is a systemic failure.

South Carolina currently allows licensed veterinarians who have been disciplined, even suspended, to potentially regain their ability to practice. This puts vulnerable animals at serious risk.

We are calling on the South Carolina Legislature and the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners to:

• Pass legislation that permanently bans any individual convicted of animal cruelty from holding or renewing a veterinary license
• Make the unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine a felony when tied to animal abuse
• Ensure real-time, public reporting of suspended or revoked licenses to protect pet owners and clinics
• Close regulatory loopholes that allow abusers to return to animal care

Animal care is a position of trust and responsibility. If someone has been found guilty of causing harm to the very animals they are sworn to protect, they should never be allowed to practice again.

Sign this petition to demand a lifetime ban on convicted animal abusers working in veterinary medicine in South Carolina. Our animals deserve nothing less.