On Wednesday, November 11, Warwick police took 25 dogs out of a single home on Fulton Street. The dogs were brought to the Warwick Animal Shelter, where staff are checking on their health. A 60-year-old Warwick man now faces 25 counts of overwork, mistreatment or failure to feed animals under Rhode Island law: one count for every dog.

These dogs could not speak up for themselves. The people with the power to act can. The Warwick Police Department and the prosecutors handling this case should pursue all 25 counts. If the case ends in a conviction, they should ask the court to bar the defendant from owning or living with animals again.

The dogs need care right now, too. Food, vet visits and kennel space for 25 animals add up fast, and shelters and taxpayers often cover that bill while a case moves through court. The Rhode Island General Assembly can fix that. Lawmakers should make sure state law requires anyone charged with animal cruelty to cover the cost of caring for seized animals, and sets a mandatory ban on owning animals after a cruelty conviction.

A case with 25 victims should never be quietly plea-bargained away. Every one of these dogs deserves a real second chance, and every Rhode Islander deserves to know that animal cruelty is taken seriously.

Sign the petition to call on Warwick prosecutors and the Rhode Island General Assembly to act now, while these 25 dogs are still waiting for justice and a home.