Target: Gina DeGenova, Mahoning County Prosecutor, Youngstown, Ohio
Goal: Pursue maximum penalties, lifetime animal-ownership bans, and restitution in surging local cases where dogs were shot and multiple animals were found starving in filthy conditions.
Animal-welfare responders in the Youngstown area face a sharp rise in cruelty and neglect, including dogs shot and many animals found emaciated amid filthy, urine-soaked surroundings. On a single day, more than 20 animals needed urgent help. These accounts paint a disturbing picture of preventable suffering and an urgent need for strong, consistent prosecution.
Officials and humane investigators have encountered households where animals were underfed, dehydrated, and confined in squalor, alongside reports of pets being shot. While rescue groups work to stabilize victims, accountability is essential to deter future offenses and protect vulnerable animals.
Robust prosecution, including seeking jail time where warranted, lifetime bans on animal ownership, mental-health evaluations, and full restitution for veterinary costs, is critical. Clear, public communication that animal cruelty will be treated as a serious crime can help prevent further harm. Prosecutors should prioritize these cases, coordinate closely with humane agencies, and ask courts for sentences that reflect the gravity of the abuse and neglect.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Prosecutor DeGenova,
We respectfully urge your office to treat the reported surge in animal-cruelty cases with the utmost seriousness. Local humane responders have encountered multiple incidents in recent weeks, including dogs shot and numerous animals found starving and confined in filthy, unsafe conditions. On one recent day alone, more than 20 animals required urgent assistance.
These incidents involve severe, prolonged suffering—emaciation, dehydration, and confinement in urine- and feces-soaked spaces—along with accounts of animals being shot. Such cruelty and neglect endanger public welfare and demand a strong legal response.
We ask that you prioritize these prosecutions; seek maximum, lawful penalties; request lifetime bans on animal ownership; and pursue court-ordered restitution and, where appropriate, mental-health evaluation and treatment. Firm, consistent consequences will help deter future offenses and affirm that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Mr. Viewer
