A starving dog was found wandering the streets of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, on October 5 with a broken rope still knotted around his neck. Now the Schuylkill County District Attorney has the power to make sure this case gets the serious attention it deserves.

Police say the pit bull and retriever mix was so thin and frightened that officers took him straight to a veterinary hospital. There, the vet scored him a 1 on a 9-point body condition scale, the worst rating possible. He was covered in fleas, had intestinal parasites, and his bloodwork showed anemia the vet linked to severe malnutrition. The vet estimated that he wasted away over about three to four weeks and will need roughly two weeks of care just to stabilize.

The dog’s owner, Craig Jeffrey Cole, 32, faces two misdemeanor animal neglect charges and a summary charge for letting the dog run loose. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A preliminary hearing is set for October 29 before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker.

A case this severe deserves more than a slap on the wrist. The Schuylkill County District Attorney should pursue every charge fully. If there is a conviction, prosecutors should ask the court to bar Cole from owning animals in the future and make sure this dog never goes back to him. After everything he has been through, this dog deserves to heal and find a safe, loving home.

Sign the petition to demand full accountability for this dog before the October 29 hearing.