On Saturday, a couple walking near a Walgreens on Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale found a French bulldog mix abandoned and alone. The dog, now named Miracle, was starving, with wounds on her legs that appear consistent with burns from prolonged contact with hot concrete or tar. She was rushed to VEG Animal Hospital, where she is being fed slowly while doctors work to stabilize her sodium levels. She may need weeks of intensive care.

Fort Lauderdale police are now investigating possible animal abuse. The rescue organization I Heart Animal Rescue, which responded to the call, is helping cover the cost of her treatment alongside private donors. "I'm sick to my stomach. It's horrible," said Cindy Mucciaccio of I Heart Animal Rescue.

Whoever abandoned Miracle in that condition must be identified and prosecuted. But this case is bigger than one dog. Florida has some of the highest rates of animal abandonment in the country, and the legal consequences for leaving an animal to suffer rarely match the severity of the act. The burden of rescuing, treating, and rehoming abandoned animals falls almost entirely on nonprofit organizations and private donors, while the people responsible often face minimal accountability.

We are calling on Fort Lauderdale police and Broward County animal control to pursue this investigation to full prosecution, on Florida lawmakers to increase mandatory penalties for animal abandonment and neglect, on Broward County to establish a dedicated emergency fund for animals rescued in abuse and abandonment cases so that organizations like I Heart Animal Rescue are not left to carry those costs alone, and on the Florida legislature to require microchipping and registration for all dogs and cats so that abandoned animals can be traced back to their owners.

Miracle survived. Many animals in her condition do not. Sign this petition to demand justice for Miracle and the reforms that could prevent the next dog from being left to die behind a dumpster.