Over 40 pit bulls were rescued from a brutal dogfighting ring in Broward County, Florida. Many were found scarred, injured, and caged in the backyard of a man who called himself one of South Florida’s “top” dogfighting trainers. One of the dogs gave birth to 12 puppies while still in federal custody.

Now, the U.S. government is trying to do something unusual: formally take ownership of these dogs through civil forfeiture, a process usually reserved for cars and cash — not living beings. It’s the only way to ensure these dogs are never returned to the very person who exploited and abused them.

This petition urges the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the U.S. Marshals Service to do everything in their power to guarantee permanent custody transfer and adoption placement for these dogs. There should be no chance whatsoever that a convicted dogfighter can reclaim them.

But this case also exposes a bigger problem. In many animal cruelty cases, seized animals are held for months or years as “evidence,” or worse — returned to abusers because of legal delays or loopholes. Florida lawmakers must change this. We’re calling on Florida’s state legislature to pass a law that automatically transfers ownership of animals seized in cruelty or fighting cases so they can be rehabilitated and rehomed, not warehoused or euthanized.

These dogs have suffered enough. It’s time to make sure the law puts their well-being first — not the property rights of those who harmed them. Every abused animal deserves a second chance in a safe home. Let’s make that a guarantee, not a gamble.

Sign now to demand justice and a future for these dogs — and for every animal rescued from cruelty in Florida.