In Calhoun County, Alabama, animal control officers are finding dogs dead in yards, tied to trees without food or water, and in one case, missing a leg. According to Julie Borelli, Calhoun County Attorney, as reported by WBRC, the dog's injury "was from a lawnmower or from a knife from whatever... what we do know is true is that the dog's leg was cut off and vet care was not given." Another dog was shot in the mouth and dumped at the county landfill, and animal parts have turned up on properties across the county.

Borelli says cases like these are becoming more common, and the county's Animal Control Center is overcrowded because officers will not euthanize the animals they take in. She also says it is nearly impossible to charge this kind of cruelty as a felony under current law, so people who mutilate or abandon animals often walk away with only a misdemeanor.

Starting October 1, Beau's Law will require dog owners to give their animals proper shelter, clean water, food, and humane treatment, and it will give animal control officers clearer authority to step in and remove dogs from dangerous situations. A law only works if it is enforced and funded.

This petition calls on the Calhoun County Commission and County Attorney Julie Borelli to fully fund and staff Animal Control so officers are no longer stretched too thin to respond, and to pursue the toughest charges the law allows against people who mutilate, shoot, or abandon their animals.

The dog who lost his leg survived and was recently adopted into a loving home. The next animal may not be so lucky. Sign the petition to demand real enforcement of Beau's Law before more animals suffer.