Hi, My Name Is Abigail Ontiveros. On Saturday, October 11, a DWI roll over accident occurred in El Paso, Texas near the Chicos Tacos on Alameda involving my partner. Our 10-month-old pitbull King was in the vehicle with her. He survived the crash and was reported crawling out of the car at the scene, as documented in the affidavit for a search warrant.
Despite this, law enforcement made no attempt to secure him, contact animal services, or notify me — the legal owner. He was microchipped, so it should not have been an issue to contact me.
Twenty-four hours later, I found out my partner had been arrested, but only because I called 911 to file a missing persons report. That was the only way I was able to confirm she was detained. Mind you, I had searched jail records and found nothing. At no point did anyone call to inform me that my Fatso had been left behind.
King was still just a playful, curious puppy, not an aggressive threat. I believe that part of the negligence in this case stemmed from bias against his breed — a pitbull. Whether he calmly stayed near the scene or ran off in confusion, it was the responsibility of responding officers to secure or report him, not to ignore or forget him.
At the time of the accident, I was waiting to be picked up from work, leaving me confused and worried when my partner didn’t arrive. A single brief courtesy call — saying, “We’ve arrested your partner and your dog couldn’t be secured” — could have changed everything. I still had a chance to go find him …
Instead, it took me another day to locate him through lost dog posts posted through Fit Fam El Paso. Tragically and very unfortunately, I found King deceased on October 13 getting on i-54 from paisano - 2 days after the initial incident.
This heartbreaking incident exposes a serious gap in the way animals are handled at accident scenes in El Paso. Animals are not disposable; they are legally considered property under Texas law and deserve proper handling. The breed should never determine whether an animal receives care or is simply left behind.

📢 Our Demands:

We, the undersigned, call on the City of El Paso and the El Paso Police Department to take immediate action by:
• Conducting a full investigation into this incident and the failure to involve animal services at the scene.
• Adopting and enforcing clear protocols requiring law enforcement to contact animal control immediately when animals are found at accident scenes.

— This should include a strict after-hours protocol or a 24/7 point of contact when animal control is unavailable.

• Implementing training programs for officers and first responders on humane and proper handling of animals, without bias against specific breeds.

• Improving communication with owners, including mandatory courtesy notifications when pets are involved in any law enforcement or emergency response situation.

💔 Why This Matters:
This is about more than one dog. This is about ensuring that no other family has to endure this kind of preventable tragedy. Especially when they are considered more than just a dog, king was my everything… I Understand the consequences and the severity of this situation but Every life matters, and every animal deserves to be treated with care, compassion, and respect — regardless of their breed.

El Paso can lead by example and create real change that protects both people and animals in future emergencies.

✍️ Please sign and share this petition to urge the City of El Paso and the El Paso Police Department to implement these changes.

Together, we can make sure no pet is left behind again. 🐾