The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office says it seized 52 animals from two properties in Brewster, Washington, after an investigation into abuse and neglect. The animals included horses, goats, dogs, chickens, ducks and a donkey. The owners also gave up 14 more dogs and a horse. On the property, investigators found four horses, two dogs, a cow, a calf and several chickens that had already died.

The case started when an animal rescue worker stopped by to drop off dog food and reported seeing badly underweight dogs, horses and goats kept in poor conditions. The rescue group tried to work with the owners first. When the owners refused to give up more animals, the sheriff’s office got a search warrant. Two horses that a veterinarian found missing were later located at another Brewster property in “severely neglected condition,” according to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation is still open, and no charges have been announced. The surviving animals are now getting care, but they can’t speak up for themselves. The Okanogan County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will decide what happens next, and that decision should match the seriousness of what investigators found.

The Okanogan County Prosecuting Attorney should review the full evidence from the sheriff’s office and file the strongest animal cruelty charges the facts support under Washington law. A firm response shows the whole county that neglect on this scale has real consequences. It also tells the rescue volunteers who spoke up that reporting abuse makes a difference.

Sign the petition to ask the Okanogan County Prosecuting Attorney to take this case seriously, before another animal is left to suffer.