To the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Our pets are family. They share our homes, our routines, and some of the most meaningful moments of our lives. When they pass away, we trust that their remains will be handled with dignity, care, and respect.

But recent events in Pennsylvania have raised troubling questions about whether our existing laws provide enough oversight to ensure that happens.

Why this matters to me
I recently learned that my beloved puppy boy, Annyeong, may have been among the thousands of dogs and cats whose remains were allegedly mishandled by Eternity Pet Memorial in the Pittsburgh area.

I discovered this while watching the news. The moment I heard the business's name, my heart sank. I spent the night grieving Annyeong all over again, trying to understand how something so deeply disturbing could have happened.

My first question was: How could someone do something so cruel?

My second question was just as troubling: How could our systems allow this to happen?

How could one individual allegedly dispose of thousands of animal bodies at a local landfill without triggering greater scrutiny? What records were required? What responsibility did the landfill have to document and disclose what it was receiving?

And perhaps most importantly, what safeguards are in place to prevent something like this from happening again?

This is more than a matter of consumer protection
While the betrayal experienced by affected families is heartbreaking, this case raises larger questions about Pennsylvania's waste disposal regulations, environmental protections, and public accountability.

Many companion animals are euthanized using medications that can present risks to wildlife and the environment if their remains are improperly managed. We deserve to understand what safeguards exist when animal remains are transported, accepted, and buried at municipal landfills.

Animal remains should not disappear into a waste disposal system without traceable documentation and appropriate oversight.

What we are asking Pennsylvania to change
We respectfully petition Pennsylvania lawmakers to consider the following reforms:

1. Stronger restrictions on the landfill disposal of companion animals

Establish stricter requirements governing when and how deceased dogs, cats, and other companion animals may be accepted at municipal landfills, particularly in bulk quantities from commercial operators.

2. Mandatory documentation submitted to the state

Require commercial animal aftercare providers, veterinary facilities, transporters, and disposal operators to maintain and submit standardized records identifying the number of animal remains handled, their source, transfer history, and final disposition.

3. Establish Volume-Triggered Oversight and Reporting Requirements

Require additional regulatory oversight when the number or volume of companion animal remains handled or disposed of by an individual, business, or landfill exceeds established thresholds within a defined period.

Higher-volume disposal activity should automatically trigger enhanced documentation, state notification, and additional verification or inspection requirements. Thresholds should be established by the appropriate state agencies based on environmental risk, industry practices, and legitimate operational needs.

These requirements should also account for cumulative disposal activity to prevent operators from avoiding oversight by dividing remains across multiple deliveries, transporters, or facilities.

4. Direct accountability for landfills

Require landfills to independently document and disclose the number of animal bodies they receive, verify disposal records, and report unusually large or undocumented deliveries to state regulators.

Landfills should have an affirmative responsibility to verify what they accept, rather than relying solely on the representations of the party delivering the remains.

5. Public transparency and stronger enforcement

Establish a statewide reporting system with publicly accessible, facility-level summaries of companion animal remains disposal. Require regular compliance audits and appropriate penalties for facilities and businesses that violate these requirements.

These reforms should be developed with input from veterinarians, animal shelters, licensed aftercare providers, environmental specialists, and state regulators to ensure they are both practical and enforceable.

Our pets deserve dignity, even in death
Pennsylvania has already begun considering legislation to strengthen oversight of companion animal cremation and aftercare services. We ask lawmakers to examine the responsibilities of the waste disposal facilities themselves as part of this broader effort.

This petition is not simply about holding one individual accountable. It is about asking whether the systems surrounding animal remains disposal provide sufficient transparency, safeguards, and accountability.

Our pets are not simply waste.

They are beloved members of our families, and the responsibility to treat their remains with dignity should not end when they leave our care.

For Annyeong, for the thousands of animals and families affected by the Eternity Pet Memorial case, and for every Pennsylvania family who will someday say goodbye to a beloved companion, we ask our state lawmakers to examine these concerns and consider meaningful legislative reform.

Please sign and share this petition to support greater transparency, stronger oversight, and accountability in Pennsylvania's animal remains disposal system.

For the animals we loved, and the dignity they deserved. 🤍