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WINDSOR – A Bertie County man has been banned from owning animals for five years after being found guilty on an animal cruelty charge here last week.

The judgment against Demetris Burke Jr. on March 12 also included a $270 fine and a sentence of 75 days in jail, which was suspended in lieu of supervised probation for six months.

According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), fieldworkers for that organization discovered a female pit bull mix, named Honey Bun, at a Bertie County residence in February 2023. At that time, the dog was emaciated and curled up in what the workers described as a “filthy, dilapidated pen where she was whining, laboring to breathe, and so weak that she was unable to stand or walk.”

A neighbor reportedly told the fieldworkers that they had not seen Honey Bun’s owner for at least one month.

PETA’s fieldworkers obtained permission to take custody of Honey Bun and rushed her to an animal hospital where a veterinarian determined that due to the severity of her condition, euthanasia was the most humane option.

A necropsy revealed that Honey Bun was starved and suffered from heartworm disease and other parasites.

Another dog on the property — who was found to be severely underweight and kept on a chain — was seized the next day with the help of Windsor Police Department.

“While the court’s decision sends an important message about the consequences of leaving an animal to die, it can’t bring Honey Bun back or undo the prolonged pain and suffering she endured,” says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. “Her sad existence is not an uncommon one for dogs in North Carolina, so many of whom spend 24/7 outside, trapped at the end of a heavy chain or inside a makeshift pen, suffering from deprivation, neglect, isolation.”

Every year, PETA’s fieldworkers visit thousands of neglected dogs, often found without shade, drinkable water, or any other way to cool down (or stay warm and dry in winter).

PETA officials say that 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 implement standards of care to require adequate food, water, and veterinary care to prevent suffering.

PETA has been lobbying Bertie County elected officials to strengthen the county ordinance and pass a ban on keeping dogs tethered outdoors, such as the towns of Windsor and Aulander — among many other North Carolina localities — have already passed.

PETA offers free Empathy Kits. For more information, visit PETA.org or follow them on X, Facebook, or Instagram.