Dear Mr. Kitzman:

This petition calls for you to prosecute, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the operator and responsible staff of the Brookshire Pound for animal cruelty.

On or about Wednesday, June 23, 2004, a dog was brought to the Brookshire Pound after being hit by a car. The staff at the Brookshire pound did not render any aid to the dog, but rather locked the dog in a kennel without providing any medical attention. The injuries sustained by the dog consisted of multiple fractures to his pelvis and vertebrae and his colon was displaced. The dog was also suffering from severe dehydration and shock and his injuries were so severe that he could not move himself to reach the water or food placed in his kennel. The dog was eventually removed from the pound by Leslie and Wilma of Mr. K's no-kill animal shelter in Houston. The dog was immediately taken to the vet who discovered not only the injuries described above but also maggots in the dog's mouth rear and inner organs. unfortunately despite the vet's best efforts the dog had to be euthanized.

Despited the terrible injuries sustained by the dog the staff at the Brookshire pound callously denied the dog any medical treatment and refused to euthanize. The staff could not even ensure that the dog was able to drink or feed but rather left the dog to suffer a lonely and agonizing death

These people must be punished and a message must be sent to people with the responsibility of the care of animals that this type of conduct is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

We urge you to prosecute the operator and staff of the Brookshire pound, responsible for the appalling treatment of this dog, for animal cruelty under section 42.09 of the Texas Penal Code for failure to provide adequate care to the dog. We urge that you ask for the maximum penalty allowed by law.

Please, we must use all means possible to prevent future acts of animal cruelty.