Hertford County Man Charged With 10 Counts of Cruelty to Animals After PETA Finds Dead, Starving Dogs
For Immediate Release:
June 9, 2026
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
Hertford County resident Ricky McCoy Cooper, Jr. has been charged with 10 counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals following PETA fieldworkers’ discovery of seven emaciated dogs and the decomposing remains of three dogs on the property where he lives. Cooper will be arraigned tomorrow, June 10, in Hertford County District Court, at the Hertford County Courthouse, at 8:55am.
PETA fieldworkers had been visiting the property regularly for years to provide free doghouses, food, water buckets, and other essentials for the dogs confined there. Then, on April 30, after receiving a complaint from a concerned citizen, PETA fieldworkers found the 10 walker-type hound dogs, all of whom were penned or chained outdoors, and alerted the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office. PETA secured custody of the dogs, then transferred them to the Virginia Beach SPCA for veterinary care and rehabilitation.
Six of the seven survivors were diagnosed with heartworm disease, and necropsies done on two of the deceased determined that they were starved and had suffered from parasites, fleas, flystrike, and advanced heartworm disease.
“These dogs endured unimaginable suffering as they slowly starved because this man couldn’t be bothered to simply feed them,” says PETA Director Rachel Bellis. “Countless other dogs are suffering and dying in pens and on chains across North Carolina right now, and PETA is calling on state officials to pass Duke’s Rescue Act to establish bare minimum standards of care to help protect these animals.”
Every year, PETA’s fieldworkers visit thousands of neglected dogs—forgotten, ignored, often found without shade, drinkable water, or any other way to cool down (or stay warm and dry in winter). Dogs relegated to the outdoors are often deprived of veterinary care, exercise, companionship, or even a kind word and are kept confined to the same few square feet of space day in and day out. That’s why PETA urges everyone to keep dogs indoors and to support Duke’s Rescue Act (HB 657), which would prohibit chaining dogs in extreme weather and create minimum standards of care for companion animals in North Carolina.
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.
