Accused Dog Killers’ Arraignment Will Draw PETA Protest Over Failure to Make Chaining Illegal

For Immediate Release:
January 27, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

This Wednesday, PETA representatives will assemble outside the Bertie County Courthouse for the arraignment of Tanikia Roshea Peele and her daughter Sha’lexia Mona Peele, who are criminally charged in the deaths of three dogs—Juju, Drako, and Eve—whose decomposing remains were found on chains on their Windsor property by PETA fieldworkers in November. Holding aloft huge, graphic photos of the dogs lying where they were found, the animal defenders will focus their messaging on the Bertie County officials who still refuse to ban the continuous chaining of dogs, despite case after case of chained-dog abuse, neglect, and deaths in Bertie County.

“County commissioners continue to ignore the epidemic of animal abuse and neglect raging in this area for years and choose to turn a blind eye while dogs suffer and die under their watch,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA hopes that Juju, Drako, and Eve’s agonizingly painful and slow deaths serve as a wakeup call for local officials that they need to pass a chaining ban and implement animal welfare standards now.”

Where:           Bertie County Courthouse, 108 Dundee St., Windsor

When:            Wednesday, January 28, 8 a.m.

Why:              PETA has pleaded with local officials for years to implement mandatory standards of care in addition to a chaining ban. PETA fieldworkers find dogs chained or penned without access to food, water, or shelter every day, and the most recent incidents are far from the first time they’ve discovered the bodies of dogs who starved, froze, or died of heat stroke or thirst. In 2024, two Bertie County residents were arraigned on cruelty-to-animals charges arising from two separate incidents in which PETA workers discovered dead and dying dogs on their properties. And just days after discovering Juju, Drako, and Eve, PETA fieldworkers found Mo, who was chained outside and emaciated. She was surrendered to PETA with the help of law enforcement, and charges are pending.

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.