Another Cruelty Arrest in Bertie County: Chained Dogs In Arctic Freeze Crisis

For Immediate Release:
February 6, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Bertie County resident Ameena Outlaw was arrested yesterday on cruelty-to-animals charges after PETA fieldworkers found a dog named Cinnamon chained outside Outlaw’s property in the subfreezing cold on Saturday. Fieldworkers immediately noted that Cinnamon reeked of infection and discovered that her collar had been wrapped so tightly around her neck that it had embedded deeply into her flesh, causing a badly infected wound. Rescuers quickly alerted local authorities, who responded to the scene and authorized PETA to rush Cinnamon for urgent veterinary treatment.

Outlaw’s arrest occurred the same day that Bertie County resident Lionel James Norfleet appeared in court to plead guilty to cruelty to animals. The charges were brought after PETA fieldworkers discovered a dog named Yale tethered on Norfleet’s property with a heavy metal chain embedded in his neck. For years, PETA has pleaded with local officials to implement mandatory standards of care in addition to a ban on continuous chaining—but they have failed to act on the information.

Cinnamon after PETA removed the embedded collar from her flesh. Photos: PETA

“Dogs in our area are in crisis, neglected, forgotten, and left to suffer outside in below-freezing weather on the end of heavy chains, often without the basic necessities of life like water or food,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “We hope that these cases move the Bertie County Board of Commissioners to use their authority and power to make a difference of life and death for countless dogs in their own backyard.”

PETA fieldworkers find dogs chained or penned without access to food, water, or shelter every single day, and in recent years, they have discovered numerous dead and dying dogs in Bertie County. In November 2025, they found the decomposing remains of three chained dogs in one yard, as detailed in this video testimonial. The previous fall, they found the skeletal remains of a dog named Thor still attached to a chain so tangled and twisted that he had been unable to reach food, water, or shelter. The month before, they found a starving dog named Jalynn penned outdoors with nothing but a plastic water container for shelter, and her condition was so severe that euthanasia was needed to end her suffering.

Numerous North Carolina localities have banned keeping dogs tethered outdoors, but, despite the prevalence of cruelty and neglect in Bertie County, its elected officials have not taken action.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.