Canine’s Death Questioned

COURT HOUSE – Middle Township Committee’s meeting May 6 saw animal advocates challenge the municipality’s efforts to enforce state animal cruelty laws.
Armed with examples of what advocates said was evidence of ongoing cruelty and neglect of animals, they called for stricter enforcement by Middle Township Police Department.
Police Chief Christopher Leusner refuted the claims of lax enforcement. He cited areas of state law that constrain the municipality’s ability to take immediate action without allowing the animal’s owner a period of time to rectify any violations.
Leusner said that immediate confiscation of a dog or other animal is only allowed when the animal’s life is in imminent danger, a high bar that a trained officer must be able to satisfy in any individual case.
The debate before the governing body frequently focused on the plight of a dog named Samson, which advocates said was abandoned by his owners, left in the elements 24 hours a day and fed irregularly.
The owners claimed that they planned to return to pick up the dog. Samson, somehow freed of restraints, was hit by a car and killed.
For the advocates, this case had all the aspects of abuse and neglect, along with failure of the municipal animal control and police to act with the speed necessary to save the dog’s life.
Leusner said that the facts of the case have often been misstated and the incorrect information gained audience due to social media posts. “No one wants to see a dog die,” Leusner said. “That was a tragic event,” he added.
He went on to state that the department conducted a thorough investigation which did not substantiate many of the social media claims and which did not result in a determination that the dog’s life was in imminent danger as state law requires before any immediate seizure of the animal.
Michelle Unkle, a leading spokesperson challenging the municipality’s handling of the case, argued that the social media posts were correct. She noted that she was one of the main authors of those posts.
In 2017, the state passed a series of animal cruelty statutes that, among other things, transferred responsibility for enforcement of state laws to municipal police departments under the oversight of county prosecutors’ offices.
Middle Township appointed and trained a police officer to serve as a municipal humane law enforcement officer. The township also transferred its animal control function to the police department.
Leusner admitted that the municipality was working through the best ways to implement the state responsibilities along with enforcement of the municipal ordinances, many of which predate the new state laws and may require some changes to make them consistent with those laws.
Leusner invited those who felt his department was incorrectly enforcing the state laws to make that case to the County Prosecutor’s Office.
“The Prosecutor’s Office is an independent body that will investigate complaints about enforcement,” Leusner said.
Mayor Timothy Donohue said that he was proud of the efforts the township has taken to protect animal rights. “We set up a dedicated animal control function focused only in the township,” he said. He also noted that the township was the first to establish a municipal animal advisory board.
“We all care,” Donohue said. “I hope we can get to a point where we work together to achieve our common goals,” he added.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.