Bertie County Woman Pleads Guilty to Cruelty After PETA Finds Remains of Three Starved Dogs

For Immediate Release:
July 2, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Yesterday, Bertie County resident Sha’Lexia Peele entered a conditional guilty plea to one count of cruelty to animals and one count of abandonment of an animal in Bertie County District Court. Peele was charged after PETA fieldworkers discovered the emaciated remains of three dogs—Juju, Drako, and Eve—on her mother, Tanakia Peele’s, property in November. Sha’Lexia, who was responsible for Juju, a small chihuahua beagle mix, was sentenced to 120 hours of community service and 12 months of supervised probation, during which time she cannot own animals. She must also pay court-ordered costs and fines. Tanakia, who was responsible for Drako and Eve, was found guilty of cruelty to animals and animal abandonment on June 3 and sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation, a ban on animal ownership for the term of her probation, in addition to court-ordered fees.

PETA’s fieldworkers had previously assisted both Sha’Lexia and Tanakia Peele by providing free doghouses, food, water buckets, and other essentials for the dogs, and had repeatedly begged the Peeles to let them have the dogs for a chance to find homes where they would be kept indoors and receive proper care. One of PETA’s fieldworkers had even gotten the Peeles’ permission last winter to take Juju home during a dangerous cold snap to prevent the dog from freezing to death. Despite repeated pleas, Peele refused to surrender the dog permanently and insisted that Juju be returned—and the dog was chained back outside.

“Juju, Drako, and Eve knew nothing but hunger, thirst, and misery, trapped at the end of a chain and left to starve,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “The temperature outside is spiking and more dogs will die in Bertie County unless officials finally ban 24/7 chaining, as PETA has repeatedly called on them to do.”

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 in the sweltering summer (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 works with government officials to require adequate food, water, and veterinary care to prevent suffering.

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.