A dog named Snookie should not have died the way she did. Prosecutors in Olmsted County, Minnesota say Raul Rene Gonzalez, Jr., 29, left his dog outside during a brutal January cold snap, when windchills dropped well below zero. A witness who was called to cremate the dog told investigators the animal was "frozen to the bottom of a metal cage, had visible trauma to its underside, and was frozen in an unnatural position," according to the charges filed against Gonzalez.

Gonzalez is now charged with animal torture and mistreatment, but he was charged only by summons and has not spent a day in custody. He isn't due in court until November 5 — nearly a year after Snookie's death.

An animal suffering and dying alone in freezing temperatures is not a minor offense. It is exactly the kind of case Minnesota's animal cruelty laws exist to punish, and prosecutors need to know their community is watching. We are asking the Olmsted County Attorney's Office to pursue the maximum charges available under the law and to treat this case with the seriousness it deserves.

Snookie can't speak for herself, but we can speak for her. Every animal deserves shelter, warmth, and basic care, and every person who denies an animal that care should be held fully accountable. Sign the petition to demand the Olmsted County Attorney's Office pursue maximum charges against Raul Gonzalez — before another animal suffers the same fate.