When Henry the yellow lab climbed into his owner’s Tesla like he had done so many times before, he was probably excited. They were headed to Orchards Park in Vancouver, Washington — waiting for them there were wooded trails, full of new smells for Henry to sniff and critters for him to watch and chase. His owner walked him far enough into the woods to convince him that everything was normal. Then she turned, sprinted back to the car, and drove away.
Henry had been abandoned, and as a 13-year-old dog in Oregon at the beginning of wildfire season, he was in danger. But thankfully, it didn’t take long for a kind stranger to bring him to safety. He’s in a foster home now, where his owner could have always surrendered him. Doing so would have been the right, and brave, thing to do. Instead she cowardly committed animal abandonment, a heinous form of abuse, and all she got for it was a slap on the wrist, a fine, and short period where she isn’t allowed to own a pet. Sign the petition if you think Maria Bruce should be charged with criminal animal abuse, and at the very least NEVER be allowed to own a dog again!