Target: Mary Moriarty, Attorney of Hennepin County, Minnesota
Goal: Prosecute to the fullest extent of the law the individual charged with locking a dog in a feces-filled cage and allowing her to starve and dehydrate to death over the course of months.
A dog was allegedly locked inside a feces-covered cage in a garage and left to die — her emaciated body discovered by a landlord months after she perished, still locked inside the cage where she spent her final days in agony. According to a criminal complaint, when the property owner returned to his rental home following a tenant’s eviction for nonpayment of rent, he found not only extensive property damage — including holes in the walls and a damaged microwave — but also a dead dog sealed inside a locked cage in the garage, surrounded by feces. A necropsy performed by the University of Minnesota determined the cause of death to be emaciation and dehydration, with no underlying disease found — suggesting the dog’s death was entirely preventable and the direct result of neglect.
According to a man who reported living at the property during the same period, the dog died early in their time at the residence and was subsequently left locked in the cage in the garage for months. He stated that the accused simply “let it die.” The accused has been charged with overwork or mistreatment of animals by torture in Hennepin County District Court. A necropsy seemingly confirmed that no disease caused her death — only starvation and dehydration.
A dog who allegedly died slowly in a locked, waste-filled cage deserves the full force of justice. Minnesota law provides serious criminal penalties for animal torture, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office must pursue this case with the maximum vigor those statutes allow. No animal should be condemned to die in darkness, locked in filth, and forgotten — and the person accused of allowing exactly that to happen must be held fully accountable. Sign this petition to demand that the accused face the strongest possible prosecution.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Attorney Moriarty,
We are writing to urge your office to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law the individual charged with overwork or mistreatment of animals by torture following the alleged discovery of a dead dog locked in a feces-filled cage in a garage in Brooklyn Park. According to the criminal complaint, the dog was found emaciated and deceased inside a locked cage after the accused was evicted from the property. A University of Minnesota necropsy determined the cause of death to be emaciation and dehydration — with no disease present — suggesting that her death was entirely the result of neglect rather than any natural cause.
A witness who lived at the property during the relevant period stated that the dog died early in the tenancy and was subsequently left locked in the cage in the garage for the remaining months. He said the accused simply “let it die.” If accurate, this means the dog suffered a slow death from starvation and dehydration, sealed in a cage covered in feces, and was then left to decompose in that same cage for an extended period. This alleged conduct represents precisely the kind of deliberate, prolonged cruelty that Minnesota’s animal torture statutes are designed to punish.
We respectfully but firmly demand that your office pursue the maximum penalties available under Minnesota law for this charge. The dog who allegedly died alone in that locked, waste-filled cage had no means of calling for help or escaping her circumstances — she was entirely dependent on the person responsible for her care. It is now the justice system’s responsibility to speak for her. Please ensure this case is prosecuted with the full seriousness it demands.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Rajesh S Balouria
