To: Shawnee County Commissioners City of Topeka Council Members Kansas State Legislature Kansas Attorney General’s Office Kansas Housing Resources Corporation

If my dogs matter (which they do), than so do I! : End Unjust Animal Cruelty Charges

The reason for her smile

Petition Text

In Shawnee County, you’re allowed to have 4 dogs. 

Yet when I reached out for help, agencies denied me housing and resources simply because I had dogs. Their refusal left me and my dogs without safe options. Now, instead of support, I’m being punished — facing animal cruelty charges for conditions I never could have avoided without help.

This is not justice. This is what happens when the system fails families, then criminalizes them for surviving.

I am calling on Shawnee County officials, the City of Topeka, and the State of Kansas to:

Dismiss unjust animal cruelty charges when individuals were denied help.

Require pet-inclusive policies in housing and crisis response.

Hold agencies accountable when they discriminate against pet owners who are following the law.


If the dogs deserve help, so do the people who love and protect them.

Please sign and share. Together, we can stop Kansas from punishing families for having dogs.



Why is this important?

Because it’s bigger than pets. If agencies can deny help to someone who is within the law, they can deny anyone.

Because families shouldn’t be torn apart. Dogs are family — many people would rather risk homelessness than give them up.

Because criminalizing poverty and compassion is wrong. The state should provide solutions, not punish people for seeking them.

Because community matters. Pet-inclusive policies keep people, pets, and neighborhoods safer and stronger.


By supporting this campaign, you’re standing up for fairness, compassion, and the right of families to stay whole in times of crisis. If the dogs deserve help, then so do the people who fight to protect them.


Categories