Welcome to Email News: Dogs forced to live amid their own waste

Who would let a dog live like this?

Donate to the PETA Legal Fund now and help us stop cruelty.

Dear Aaaaaaa,

Gigi and Princess were confined to a pen outside in miserable, filthy conditions that no dog should ever have to endure even for a minute, let alone 24/7.

During one visit, PETA's fieldworkers found the dogs huddled on the roof of their doghouse because the cramped, cluttered pen had become buried in their own waste. They had even resorted to defecating on top of the doghouse.

PETA's fieldworkers did everything they could to improve these dogs' lives—giving them fresh water, administering flea treatment, providing them with a sturdy shelter, cleaning up their pen, and trying to persuade their owner to give them a chance to find loving homes where they'd be allowed to live indoors.

But she adamantly refused, over and over. That never deterred the fieldworkers: They documented Gigi and Princess' deplorable conditions during every visit, collecting evidence that would eventually help bring charges against the dogs' owner.

Your generous gift to the PETA Legal Fund will help power critical work for dogs and other animals in desperate need. Give now and help us meet our $100,000 goal by March 31.

Since Princess and Gigi couldn't be removed from the property, PETA's fieldworkers kept checking on them, concerned because even the threat of conviction wouldn't move their owner to improve their care.

Sadly, the fieldworkers were right. Less than two weeks after the owner was finally charged, police officers discovered Gigi dead—and they quickly arranged to have Princess confiscated.

After a judge awarded PETA custody of Princess—now named Ellie—she stayed at our shelter, where she received plenty of TLC. Then, we transferred her to a wonderful partner shelter, the Virginia Beach SPCA, which placed her in a loving home with two doting guardians and a canine sister named Reba.

PETA's documentation bolstered the case against Ellie's abusive former owner, who pleaded guilty to nine cruelty charges and faced not only jail time but also a lifetime ban on owning any other animals. And a judge gave PETA and local police permission to tear down and destroy the pen prison where Gigi and Princess had been confined so that no other dog would ever again suffer in it.

By donating to the PETA Legal Fund right now, you'll be supporting our work to stop heartbreaking cruelty and hold more abusers accountable. Even $5 can help.

From supplying sturdy doghouses to "backyard dogs" without adequate protection from the elements to transporting thousands of dogs, cats, and other animals to free spay/neuter surgeries at one of our mobile clinics, PETA fieldworkers do everything they can to help animals in need.

Every day, they check on the welfare of some of the thousands of animals we've helped through the years. Most visits end with affection from a dog or cat who's grateful for the attention, but when they find abuse and neglect so serious that it's criminal, they turn to the law for help.

Your gift of $5 or more today will strengthen PETA's work to help hold animal abusers accountable. Please help us meet our $100,000 goal by March 31!