My name is Eric, and I run I Love Every Dog. I want to tell you about 35 dogs who spent who knows how long locked in filthy, urine-soaked crates on a property in Goose Creek, South Carolina, with no clean food or water. When rescuers finally got onto that property, they didn't just find the 35 survivors. They found the remains of four more dogs buried in the yard.
The man who owned that property, Loney Leroy Garrett, is now facing 74 counts of animal cruelty. But on August 18, 2026, he didn't even bother to show up for his own pretrial hearing. The judge is letting the case move forward anyway, with a jury trial expected this fall. That's the good news. The bad news is that South Carolina's animal cruelty laws are still so weak that even a case this horrific can end in a plea deal and a slap on the wrist.
I'm asking Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson, who prosecutes cases for Berkeley and Charleston Counties, to pursue the maximum charges against Garrett and to make sure this case sets a real precedent, not just a headline. Thirty-five living dogs and four dead ones deserve more than a plea deal that lets their owner walk.
I'm also asking Solicitor Wilson to publicly support Riley's Act (H.5090), the bill sitting in the South Carolina legislature right now that would finally strengthen the state's animal neglect laws, create tools to track repeat offenders, and give prosecutors like her the teeth they need to stop the next Loney Garrett before dozens more dogs suffer.
Animal rescuers and advocates across the Lowcountry are already speaking out and pushing lawmakers and prosecutors to take this seriously. They shouldn't have to fight alone.
Please sign this petition and join me in calling on Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson to seek full accountability for the 35 dogs of Goose Creek, and to back Riley's Act so South Carolina finally protects animals the way it should.
