Kobe never had a chance. Tied to a park fence off Hawthorne Avenue and abandoned overnight, he was left without food or water as temperatures climbed into the high 90s. By the time officers found him, it was too late.

Investigators say Daniel Martinez took his own dog from home, tied him to that fence, and walked away, later admitting he did it because he could no longer keep him. He made no arrangements for anyone else to take Kobe in. He just left. Martinez has since been arrested and charged with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, a felony under New York's Agriculture and Markets Law, but a charge is only the first step. Kobe deserves real accountability, and New York's animals deserve better protection than this.

We're calling on the Westchester County District Attorney's Office to pursue the maximum penalty available under the law in this case. We're also calling on New York State lawmakers to close the gap that lets owners abandon animals rather than surrender them safely: every county should offer accessible, no-blame surrender options so no other dog is tied to a fence and left to die because their owner didn't know what else to do.

Kobe couldn't advocate for himself. We can. Sign the petition to demand full accountability for Kobe's death and stronger protections so no animal is abandoned like this again.