The Enfield Police Department charged a man through a criminal summons for misdemeanor cruelty to animals.

Chief Chuck Hasty confirmed today that an investigation into the matter occurred in September and that on October 30 after consultation with the district attorney’s office Alonzo Alston will be summoned to Halifax County District Court to answer to the charge.

His court date is December 10, according to the state court calendar.

The animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent out a press release on the case late Thursday night.

PETA said in the news release that an approximately 8-month-old dog named Cookie was deprived of adequate shelter after fieldworkers with the organization found the animal was living in what it described as a filthy, makeshift outdoor pen and its only shelter was a hollowed-out washing machine.

The dog remains on the property pending the outcome of the case in court.

PETA reported the dog’s living conditions to authorities on September 10. The fieldworkers discovered she was confined to the pen with no shelter, only mucky rainwater to drink, and only stale bread and rotting meat to eat. 

Alston was instructed to provide the dog with adequate shelter, adequate food, and more space. Several days later, he put the washing machine in the pen as a shelter. 

“With temperatures dropping, a harsh winter ahead, and no life to speak of, Cookie’s prospects are bleak unless she gets out of there,”said PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA thanks the Enfield Police Department for taking action and wants to see this young, vibrant dog given a chance to find a loving indoor home.”