For Immediate Release:
May 6, 2005

PETA is asking that¯if convicted and in addition to a period of incarceration—Dufour be banned for life from contact with animals, as is allowed by New Hampshire law. PETA is also asking that Dufour be required to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation followed by mandatory counseling.

PETA’s letter to Assistant County Attorney Jill Cook follows.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the world’s largest animal rights organization, with more than 800,000 members and supporters dedicated to animal protection. This letter concerns a recent case of cruelty to animals that your office is handling, involving Danya Dufour, 32, of Kingston. Dufour faces 13 cruelty charges stemming from authorities’ reported March 9 discovery of more than 30 dachshunds languishing amid their own waste in the basement of her rented 4 Granite Rd. home. According to news sources, the dogs were deprived of adequate water and crammed together in small cages in the cellar, which allegedly housed her "puppy mill." One dog rescued from the scene—from which four cats, an iguana, and a parrot were also removed—was said to have been covered in bite marks.

We understand that Dufour—whose dogs were apparently the subject of Massachusetts humane officials’ concerns while they were in that state—is scheduled to answer to these charges in Plaistow District Court on Monday, May 9, at 8 a.m.

On behalf of our thousands of members and supporters in New Hampshire, we respectfully ask that, upon conviction and in addition to a period of incarceration, Danya Dufour be required to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation followed by mandatory counseling at personal expense. Because repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and given the accused’s apparent prolonged and utter disregard for the lives and suffering of animals in her custody, we implore your office to take every measure necessary to ensure that she is barred for life from contact with animals per Chapter 644.8.IV(a) of New Hampshire Code and to immediately find and seize any animals who remain in her charge.