Biggie Smalls was a pit bull staying with a foster family in Mullica, New Jersey. According to prosecutors, the couple who ran his rescue, Gone Rogue Girls Rescue, came by in April to give him shots. When he lunged at one of them, the other allegedly shot him in the head, then bagged his body and drove off with it.

A month later, the rescue asked the public for money in his memory, claiming he had been gently put to sleep after a cancer diagnosis. Prosecutors say that story was made up.

When detectives searched the couple’s Pemberton Township property, they found cramped kennels caked in waste, and some dogs had no water at all. Twelve dogs were rushed to the Burlington County Animal Shelter for medical care. Investigators believe the rescue may have unlawfully put down other dogs as well.

Thomas and Brooke Thompson now face animal cruelty charges. Brooke Thompson is also charged with theft by deception tied to the fundraiser, and Thomas Thompson faces weapons charges.

Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw should pursue these charges to the fullest extent of the law. Biggie Smalls, and every dog pulled from those kennels, deserves real accountability.

But one case will not stop the next one. Animal rescues in New Jersey can take in dogs, place them in homes, and collect donations with little outside oversight. The New Jersey Legislature and the Governor should require every rescue to hold a state license, pass regular inspections, and show donors how their money is spent.

Sign the petition to demand justice for Biggie Smalls and stop the next fake rescue before more dogs suffer.