[Corrected based on updated reporting; Sept. 4, 2025] 

In July 2025, two beloved dogs died after being boarded at RC Dog Care in Warminster, Pennsylvania. Their families dropped them off expecting safe, professional care. Instead, their pets never came home. The details are still under investigation, but one thing is already clear: Pennsylvania’s outdated dog laws failed to protect them.

The facility was cited for operating without a valid kennel license, housing more animals than permitted, and obstructing a state inspection. Despite these serious violations, it had reopened in under two weeks—and no criminal charges have been filed.

Pennsylvania’s Dog Law was last updated in 2008. That’s 17 years of changes in pet ownership, corporate boarding chains, and licensing loopholes—and no meaningful legal reform. We need laws that reflect today’s reality, not yesterday’s assumptions.

Families who lost their pets in this tragedy aren’t just grieving. They’re demanding that the Commonwealth do better. That starts by modernizing our dog protection laws. We need:

• Stronger enforcement powers for the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement
• Mandatory transparency and inspection compliance for boarding facilities
• Harsher penalties when facilities operate without licenses or endanger animals

These are not radical ideas—they're common sense protections for the animals we consider family.

When government oversight is weak and corporate facilities cut corners, it’s pets and their people who suffer. Two dogs died preventable deaths. If Pennsylvania’s laws aren’t fixed, it could happen again.

We call on Pennsylvania legislators to act now: update the state’s Dog Law, increase funding for enforcement, and ensure that no facility like this can operate in the shadows again. Our pets can’t speak for themselves—but we can speak for them.

Sign this petition to demand justice for the dogs lost and action to protect every pet in Pennsylvania.