PETITION TITLE
Strengthen Riley’s Act: Create a Strong South Carolina Animal Abuse Registry

SHORT SUMMARY
South Carolina needs a statewide, conviction-based animal-abuse registry that helps prevent convicted animal abusers from obtaining additional animals. Strengthen Riley’s Act (H. 5090) and give shelters, rescues, animal control, and law enforcement the tools they need to protect animals.

PETITION
Protect Dogs. Prevent Repeat Abuse. Strengthen Riley’s Act.
I am asking the South Carolina General Assembly to strengthen Riley’s Act (H. 5090) and establish a meaningful statewide animal-abuse registry.

South Carolina has an opportunity to take an important step toward protecting animals from repeat abuse.

If someone is convicted of seriously abusing a dog or another animal, that conviction should not simply disappear when the person moves to another county.

We need a statewide system that can help prevent another animal from becoming a victim.

We are asking South Carolina legislators to:
🐾 Create a strong statewide, publicly searchable registry of people convicted of qualifying animal-cruelty offenses.

🐾 Base registry placement on convictions—not accusations or arrests.

🐾 Require strong animal-ownership prohibitions for serious and repeat offenders.

🐾 Allow shelters, rescues, and animal-control agencies to check the registry before placing an animal.

🐾 Prevent people subject to an ownership ban from obtaining animals through another person.

🐾 Create meaningful consequences for violating an animal-ownership prohibition.

🐾 Give special protection to dogs who are victims of serious cruelty, torture, intentional killing, animal fighting, or severe/repeated neglect.

This is about prevention—not public shaming.
We are not asking for people to be placed on a registry because of accusations or allegations.

We are asking for accountability after a qualifying criminal conviction.

A person convicted of serious animal cruelty should not be able to simply move to another community and obtain another animal without the appropriate authorities having a way to identify the conviction and any active ownership prohibition.

Our message is simple:
If someone is convicted of seriously abusing a dog, they should not be able to simply get another dog.

Riley’s Act has already started this important conversation.

Now let's make it strong enough to protect animals.

PLEASE SIGN
If you are a South Carolina resident or support stronger protections for animals in South Carolina, please sign this petition and share it with your friends, family, neighbors, animal shelters, rescues, veterinarians, and animal advocates.

Our first goal: 1,000 signatures.

Then we're taking the signatures directly to South Carolina legislators and asking them to strengthen Riley’s Act.

Protect animals. Prevent repeat abuse. Make Riley’s Act stronger.