Target: Mark Tekulve, Clermont County Prosecuting Attorney, Ohio
Goal: Upgrade charges and seek the toughest allowable sentence for the individual who allegedly tethered and starved a dog named Apollo to death.
A passer-by reportedly discovered a skeletal dog lying motionless in a roadside ditch. The animal—now identified as Apollo—was reportedly so emaciated that seasoned veterinary professionals said they had “never seen an animal in this state.” Rescuers believe Apollo had been kept outdoors on a short leash for an extended period, deprived of adequate food, water, and shelter until he finally broke free and collapsed a few yards from his home.
Despite around-the-clock emergency care from veterinary technicians and a foster guardian, Apollo succumbed to organ failure within a week. Photographs taken at intake show every rib and hip bone protruding beneath skin marred by pressure sores. Authorities have charged a local resident with only misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a companion animal and failure to register a dog. The reported facts point to prolonged, deliberate neglect—conduct that many believe warrants felony prosecution under Ohio’s revised animal-cruelty statutes.
Ohio lawmakers strengthened penalties precisely to deter extreme cases like Apollo’s. Allowing this alleged abuse to be addressed as a misdemeanor risks signaling that starving a dog to death carries little consequence. Sign below to demand a felony charge, meaningful jail time, fines, and a lifelong ban on animal ownership to honor Apollo’s short and painful life while sending a clear message that the county will not tolerate severe neglect.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Prosecutor Tekulve,
Investigators found Apollo so emaciated he could no longer stand after allegedly being tethered outside without proper nourishment or care. Despite exhaustive medical intervention, the dog died within days, his body unable to recover from apparent months of deprivation. Such protracted suffering reflects an aggravated level of cruelty that Ohio’s felony statutes were designed to address.
Charging this case only as a misdemeanor risks minimizing the seriousness of the alleged offense and undermines public confidence in the justice system’s protection of vulnerable animals. Ohio Revised Code §959.131(B) permits felony prosecution when a companion animal is knowingly subjected to serious physical harm—criteria seemingly met by Apollo’s extreme starvation and eventual death.
We respectfully urge your office to reassess the charges and pursue felony counts, along with the maximum sentence, restitution for veterinary costs, and a permanent prohibition on owning animals. Doing so will uphold the intent of Ohio’s strengthened cruelty laws and ensure that Apollo’s suffering leads to meaningful accountability.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Chevysmom
