Nine puppies jammed into a single kennel, sitting in a bathtub filled with their own waste. A mother dog so starved her bones showed. A tiny sugar glider tied down so tightly it couldn't move, with no food or water in reach.

That's what animal officers say they found on October 1 inside a home on Toll House Lane in Atlanta. Police had come to serve a warrant in an unrelated case. Instead, they uncovered 30 animals and 14 fish kept in filth, including dogs, cats, rabbits, snakes, lizards and the sugar glider. The smell of ammonia was so strong that investigators' eyes burned, according to the Fulton County Police Department's Animal Services Division. Other dogs had been tied up outside with nothing to eat or drink and no shelter.

Two sisters who promoted themselves online as animal lovers now face a combined 19 counts of animal cruelty. Investigators say videos on their social media showed some of the same animals later rescued from the home.

These animals could not speak up for themselves. Now the justice system has a chance to speak for them. The Fulton County District Attorney's Office should pursue every charge fully. If the sisters are convicted, the court should bar them from owning or caring for animals in the future. Georgia lawmakers should go further and make that kind of ban automatic for anyone convicted of animal cruelty, so abusers can't simply start over with new pets.

Fulton County Animal Services should also make sure every rescued animal gets complete veterinary care and, once healthy, a real path to a safe, loving home.

Sign the petition to demand justice for these animals and make sure no abuser in Georgia gets another chance to do this again.