Animal activists at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have called on an Arizona judge to ban rapper DMX from owning pets.

DMX is in a heap of legal trouble following a string of arrests in the past 12 months, but it's his animal cruelty charge, following a raid on his home in May, that has upset PETA officials.

The rapper pleaded not guilty to seven misdemeanour counts of cruelty after Arizona police took five pit bull terrier puppies into care. They reported the dogs "weren't getting proper food or water and they were tied outside in 115-degree heat".

After calling for DMX to be "vigorously prosecuted" at the time of his cruelty arrest, PETA bosses have now written to the judge overseeing the case, Andrew Thomas, asking him to ban the rapper from ever owning another dog.

In the letter PETA spokeswoman Peter Wood writes, "On behalf of our thousands of members and supporters in Arizona, we respectfully urge your office to prosecute Simmons to the fullest extent of the law.

"As Simmons' alleged conduct might well demonstrate, repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers, so we implore your office to take every measure necessary to ensure that Simmons, if convicted, is barred from owning or harboring animals for as long as possible.

"We also ask that, if convicted, Simmons serve a meaningful period of incarceration and be required to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation followed by mandatory counselling at his own expense. The safety of the community might depend on it."