Bertie County Man Convicted of Cruelty to Animals Following PETA Intervention

Three Sorely Neglected Dogs Discovered Chained Amid Filth; All Sick, Near Starvation

For Immediate Release:
September 25, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Windsor, N.C. — Today, the Bertie County District Court found Anderson Christopher Bell of Aulander guilty of cruelty to animals for neglecting three dogs who were found nearly starved to death. PETA’s first visit to Bell’s home in November 2012 revealed that he kept three pit bulls—two adults and a puppy—chained day and night amid their own waste. They were extremely malnourished and deprived of basic necessities such as shelter, food, drinkable water, and medical care for parasitic infestations. 

During a follow-up visit, PETA fieldworkers found the puppy, Ice, near death. He was rushed to a veterinary hospital, where a veterinarian determined that he was critically anemic as a result of a severe hookworm infestation. Ice weighed just 16 pounds, when his bodyweight should have been 35 pounds. PETA offered to provide the two remaining dogs with free veterinary care, but Bell refused. Their health continued to decline over several weeks. In January, a PETA fieldworker found both adult dogs, Dallas and Diamond, again dangerously emaciated. They were taken into PETA’s custody and treated by a veterinarian. This morning, Bell pleaded no contest to the charges of cruelty to animals. The court ordered that he pay restitution to PETA for the cost of the dogs’ veterinary care and prohibited him from ever owning or harboring any animals again.

“We thank the court for recognizing that a person who neglects dogs until they are literally starving to death is someone who should never again be trusted with an animal’s care,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “No more animals will suffer at Bell’s hands, and we ask anyone who witnesses cruelty to animals to report it immediately.”

PETA’s Community Animal Project (CAP) delivers food, doghouses, and bedding to neglected animals in Virginia and North Carolina who have never known a kind word or touch. CAP staff and volunteers transport animals to veterinarians and counsel animal guardians on proper care, such as always allowing companion animals to live inside the house with their families.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.