Four dogs died in and around a Young Township home in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, and state troopers say their bodies were left there to decompose. The Jefferson County District Attorney now has the power to make sure this case ends with real accountability.

Connie Lynn Eisenhower, 58, of Punxsutawney, faces four felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, plus misdemeanor counts of cruelty and failing to provide veterinary care. According to a police affidavit, electrical repair workers at the Eddy Road property discovered a dead dog inside on July 6, which led troopers to the home. They located three more: one under a chair, two inside crates, and one in a pen out back.

Police say Eisenhower told them the dogs fell sick around the same time. She reportedly tried treating them with leftover antibiotics because unpaid bills at local clinics kept her from getting veterinary care, and she left the property once the dogs started dying. A relative told investigators she was interested in breeding dogs, and one local animal hospital has records of past visits involving 14 dogs and a litter of puppies.

Money troubles are real, but they cannot justify walking away from sick animals locked in crates. Pennsylvania treats cruelty that causes an animal’s death as a felony for good reason.

Eisenhower has not been convicted and is entitled to her day in court. The District Attorney should pursue every charge in full and, if she is convicted, ask the court to bar her from owning or breeding animals in the future. Without that protection, more dogs could end up in the same situation. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 3.

Sign the petition to demand justice for these four dogs before the December 3 hearing and make sure no more animals suffer this way.