UTICA, N.Y. (Feb. 17, 2026) — In Defense of Animals is deeply dismayed by the lenient sentencing of Anaiya Harris, a Utica woman who deliberately sealed her dog in a closet to die of starvation and dehydration before moving out of her apartment. On Friday, Oneida County Court Judge Robert L. Bauer sentenced Harris to just six months in county jail and five years of probation, despite her facing up to two years behind bars. She will also be required to sign the Oneida County animal cruelty registry.

This disturbing discovery was made in June, 2025, when a landlord entered the vacated Lenox Avenue apartment. Authorities reported that the dog had been locked inside a crate, placed inside a closet, and spray foam had been used to permanently seal the door shut. 

Following a grand jury indictment in August 2025, Harris was arrested on two animal cruelty charges, and ultimately convicted of aggravated cruelty to animals under N.Y. Agriculture & Markets Law § 353-a, a Class E Felony. Under this statute, she faced up to two years of incarceration and a $5,000 fine. During sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Andrew K. Rahme noted the deliberate nature of the act, and Judge Bauer cited a pre-sentencing report indicating Harris showed a “complete lack of remorse.”

“Harris’ calculated cruelty to her dog is an act of irrational callousness. The least she could have done was to alert her landlord as she moved. In my years of advocacy, I’ve seen firsthand what deprivation does to an animal. Harris sealed a helpless animal in a closet to experience fear, panic, and the agony of severe dehydration and starvation,” said Doll Stanley, Senior Campaigner for In Defense of Animals.

Prior to the sentencing, In Defense of Animals sent a letter with 12,815 signatures to Oneida County District Attorney Hon. Todd C. Carville, supporting the vigorous prosecution of Harris, and encouraging the maximum sentence for this heinous crime.

“Nothing can bring back this life or undo the harm caused, and this sentence will disappoint many,” said Fleur Dawes, Communications Director for In Defense of Animals. “This dog suffered an agonizing death at the hands of the person who was supposed to be a guardian. An animal who should have been a beloved individual was unimaginably betrayed. We appreciate the efforts of law enforcement to bring abusers like Harris to justice and not rest until courts have the power to deliver real consequences for animal abusers who are a risk to all members of society.”

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MEDIA CONTACT: Doll Stanley, doll@idausa.org, (662) 809-4483

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters defending animals, people, and the environment through education, campaigns, and hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, California, and rural Mississippi since 1983. www.idausa.org/justice4animals

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