Target: Steve Kunzweiler, District Attorney of Tulsa County, Oklahoma
Goal: Prosecute to the fullest extent of the law couple charged with animal cruelty after officers allegedly discovered animals living in filth-covered conditions — and the body of a deceased cat — inside a home operating as an animal rescue.
A couple who operated an animal rescue out of their home has been charged with animal cruelty after officers reportedly discovered animals living in deeply unsanitary conditions, including feces covering the floors of both levels of the residence, and the decomposing body of a cat. According to the arrest report, the couple themselves acknowledged the dogs’ living conditions were “not ideal” — yet continued to operate a rescue called Oklahoma Ruff Refuge out of the same property. Officers described the first floor as having trash, spilled food, and a pervasive smell of urine, with the second floor being covered in feces.
The animals were surrendered to Tulsa Animal Services and are being cared for by local rescue organizations. The fact that this home was operating as an animal rescue — a place the public presumably trusted to protect animals — while reportedly harboring animals in these conditions represents a serious betrayal of that trust. Each animal kept there was dependent on these individuals for care, food, and safety, and reportedly received none of those things adequately.
Oklahoma’s animal cruelty statutes exist for exactly these circumstances, and the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office must pursue both charges with the full force of the law. Sign this petition to demand that both accused individuals face maximum accountability for what the animals in their care allegedly endured.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear DA Kunzweiler,
We are writing to urge your office to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law the couple charged with animal cruelty following an inspection of their home, which was being operated as an animal rescue called Oklahoma Ruff Refuge. According to the arrest report, officers found feces covering the ground on the second floor, trash and urine odors on the first, and were subsequently led to the body of a deceased cat who had been dead for some time. The couple purportedly acknowledged that conditions for the dogs were not ideal, yet continued operating the rescue regardless.
Animals surrendered to or placed in the care of a rescue organization deserve humane, sanitary living conditions and proper veterinary attention. What investigators allegedly found at this residence was the opposite of that. That alleged betrayal is precisely what Oklahoma’s animal cruelty laws are designed to address and punish.
We respectfully but firmly demand that your office pursue conviction and the maximum available sentencing against both accused individuals on all animal cruelty charges filed. The animals allegedly kept in those conditions deserved far better, and the justice system must now speak for them.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Raj Khosla
