A dog in Horry County, South Carolina was tied to the back of a moving vehicle and dragged for more than three and a half miles along Cherry Hill Road before the driver stopped, according to police. The dog did not survive. Investigators later found two more dogs at the same home who they say had also been mistreated.

The driver now faces one felony and two misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. That's a start, but South Carolina's animal cruelty statutes haven't kept pace with cases like this one, and penalties for even the most extreme acts of cruelty can still fall short of matching the harm done.

This case shouldn't be treated as an isolated tragedy. When investigators find several animals mistreated at the same home, it's a sign the system needs stronger tools to step in sooner, not just to prosecute after the fact.

I'm asking the South Carolina General Assembly to toughen the state's animal cruelty laws, including stronger mandatory penalties for cases involving extreme physical harm or the death of an animal, and I'm asking Horry County prosecutors to pursue the fullest charges the law allows in this case.

Animals can't speak up for themselves. Every gap in the law puts more of them at risk. Sign the petition to demand tougher animal cruelty laws in South Carolina and full accountability in this case, before another animal pays the price.