Three husky puppies were so starved they rushed to eat snow the moment they were taken outside. A cat found under a recliner was too weak to walk. Officers discovered floors and walls stained with feces and urine, no food, no water, and an ammonia odor severe enough to indicate months of neglect.

Patrick Picard, 26, of South Heidelberg Township in Berks County, faces five felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals after investigators from the Animal Rescue League of Berks County discovered these conditions during a welfare check on February 5. The surviving animals received intravenous fluids overnight. Picard, who claimed he had been away from the home for six months, was observed walking barefoot through piles of feces, a detail animal control officer Rachel Harnish cited in her affidavit as directly contradicting his account.

Picard remains free while awaiting arraignment in Berks County Court. He still has an Akita in his home. Pennsylvania law does not require automatic surrender of all animals when felony cruelty charges are filed.

That needs to change.

The Berks County District Attorney should pursue the maximum sentence on all five felony counts and seek a lifetime animal ownership ban as part of any disposition. The court should issue an immediate order requiring Picard to surrender his remaining animals pending resolution of the case. And the Pennsylvania legislature should close the loophole that allows people charged with felony animal cruelty to keep animals in their homes while the court process plays out.

Sign this petition to demand full prosecution, an immediate animal surrender order, and a Pennsylvania law requiring automatic emergency animal removal upon felony cruelty charges.