WANTAGE, N.J. – Animal welfare advocates are calling for criminal charges after a dog named Boe was shot and fatally wounded earlier this month in a Wantage Township neighborhood, arguing the act violated New Jersey’s animal cruelty and firearm laws.
According to Companion Animal Advocates of New Jersey, Boe was shot in the back of the head on a residential street and left to suffer before being euthanized due to severe injuries. The group says the shooting occurred in an R-5 residential zone and does not meet the state’s legal or humane standards for the destruction of an animal.
Under New Jersey statute N.J.S.A. 4:19-9, a private individual may only lawfully kill a dog if it is caught in the act of chasing, worrying, wounding, or destroying a domestic animal. Advocates argue there is no evidence Boe was actively engaged in such behavior at the time of the shooting, nor that the shooter had reasonable grounds to believe so.
The organization also points to state animal cruelty law N.J.S.A. 4:22-17, which classifies the intentional or reckless killing of an animal as an indictable offense, and to Title 2C firearms provisions that prohibit discharging a weapon in residential areas.
“Boe was shot on a public roadway, not attacking or chasing,” the group’s statement reads. “That is neither humane nor lawful under New Jersey law.”
Companion Animal Advocates and community supporters are urging residents to contact the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office and Chief Humane Law Enforcement Officer Paul Mueller to request full enforcement of the state’s animal cruelty and firearm statutes.
The shooter was later charged with a misdemeanor and is expected in court in February.
Anyone with information or wishing to express concern can reach the prosecutor’s office at 973-383-1570 or email Assistant Prosecutor Karen Lodeserto at klodeserto@scpo.sussex.nj.us and CHLEO Paul Mueller at pmueller@scpo.sussex.nj.us.
