Burn pits filled with charred animal remains. Dogs starving in the Texas heat. Feces on food bowls. Parasite infections left untreated. These are just some of the horrifying details uncovered at Freedom Ranch Laredo, now facing dozens of animal cruelty charges in what Webb County District Attorney Isidro R. Alaniz calls “one of the worst animal cruelty cases I’ve seen.”

According to court documents, founder Bernadette Mays knowingly allowed dogs to suffer in filthy, overcrowded kennels. Photos and messages cited in the case show sick and injured dogs being denied urgent medical care—some left to die and burn in open pits. Text exchanges suggest Mays planned to use staged “depressing posts” to raise money online, rather than actually treat suffering animals. One message reads: “We don’t have the funds for the vet... I would have to come up with (some) story.”

This wasn’t just neglect. It was cruelty carried out with full awareness—and for profit.

Though Mays has now surrendered the surviving dogs to Laredo Animal Care Services, damage has already been done. Multiple dogs were so malnourished or infected they had to be euthanized. Only seven of nearly 30 arrived at the shelter within a healthy range. The others are still undergoing treatment and recovery.

Freedom Ranch Laredo operated under the guise of rescue. But what happened there was exploitation. This case has shocked the Laredo community, and people across Texas are calling for meaningful consequences—not just for Mays, but for any rescue or shelter that operates without oversight or accountability.

We demand that Webb County DA Isidro R. Alaniz and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation ensure full prosecution of this case and work to strengthen enforcement of animal cruelty laws across the state. No animal should suffer behind the closed gates of a self-proclaimed “rescue.”

These dogs didn’t get to speak. But we can.

Sign if you believe every animal deserves safety—and those who abuse that trust must be held accountable.