Dog’s shooting puts authorities on trail of perpetrators

Staff Writer

By cindy tietjen

PLUMSTED — The Plumsted Police Department and the New Jersey Fish and Game Law Enforcement division are investigating the shooting death of a white German shepherd.

The shooting occurred at about noon Nov. 26 at a nursery behind Sefel Avenue in the Cream Ridge section of the community. The initial investigation indicated that the dog was shot with a slug from a shotgun.

According to Peter Weinrich, Plum-sted’s director of public safety, the Fish and Game Law Enforcement division has joined the investigation and is offering a reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

"The Plumsted Police Department is offering a reward of $200 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible," Weinrich said.

The public safety director said the dog that was shot was not a stray; it was a house pet. When the animal’s owner discovered the dog was missing, he went looking for the canine. The dog was found floating in a nearby pond by the family with whom it lived. Police were then notified.

"This dog was a family pet," Weinrich said. "Although the parents owned the dog legally, the dog belonged to the 12-year-old boy in the family, and he is just heartbroken."

Weinrich said the family has written to area newspapers asking anybody with information about the incident to come forward.

Police are looking to speak with anyone who may have witnessed the incident, particularly any hunters and the possible operators of off-road vehicles that had been seen in the area that morning.

"Although no one has reported hearing shots fired, there are reports that off-road vehicles were seen in the area around the time of the incident," Weinrich said.

Although the Plumsted Police Department does not regularly conduct investigations with the Fish and Game Law Enforcement division, Weinrich said the state authority has been brought in because the case may involve hunters.

"While we are not pointing the finger at hunters, we do not think this was the work of a child," Weinrich said. "The dog was shot with what appears to be a shotgun slug, which would be common for a hunter."

According to Weinrich, the dog was a well-tempered house pet, and there are no indications the dog became aggressive and was shot in self-defense.

"If the dog was shot in self-defense, why didn’t the person who did it come forward?" he said.

The public safety director said he doesn’t believe a hunter could have mistaken the dog for a deer.

"The light white color of the dog made it obvious the animal was not a deer," Weinrich said.

Anyone with information may call the Plumsted Police Department at (609) 758-3737 of the New Jersey Fish and Game Law Enforcement Central Region office at (609) 259-2120.