A Bertie County, North Carolina, woman pleads guilty to one count of misdemeanor cruelty to animals nearly a year after PETA fieldworkers found her dog, a young pit bull named Minnie, dead. Minnie was still chained, lying inside her doghouse. Officials charged Cherelle Turner Askew with seven counts of cruelty and seized five dogs from the yard. PETA filed an innovative civil lawsuit and gained permanent custody of the surviving dogs. Three of the survivors—Billie, Duke, and Sandy—were adopted into loving homes.