NJ teen proposes new law after his Chihuahua killed by savage pit bull

A New Jersey teen is pushing for a new law after a pit bull savagely killed his pet Chihuahua in front of him — and animal control told him it was not a crime.Zander Zaki-Elba, 13, drafted what he calls the “Moksha Law – Companion First Rights Act” — named for his beloved 5-pound dog that was mauled to death by a nearly 200-pound pit bull outside his family’s Washington Township apartment complex last March.The proposal would allow pet owners to recover damages for the emotional distress caused by the wrongful death of a companion animal — something current New Jersey law does not permit.Zaki-Elba said he was inspired to act after Gloucester County Animal Control — which didn’t show up until the next morning — told him and his mother there was nothing that could be done, and compared their fur baby to a piece of furniture.“Nobody wanted to help anybody.They told me ‘It’s not a crime.

Your dog is a piece of property, like a dresser.And that’s all he is,'” the boy’s mother, Alicia Stinglen, told NJ Advance Media.

“I’m like, ‘He was our family.'”The 13-year-old recalled watching in horror as his “best friend” was attacked, fearing for his own safety before running home to alert his mother.But when they returned, the dog could not be brought back to life, even after a neighbor, covered in blood, attempted to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.“His mouth was wide open.His tongue was sticking out from inside his mouth.

And I just can’t get that out of my head at all,” Zaki-Elba told the outlet.The owner of the pit bull was charged with not having a license for the animal and with owning a dog that was dangerous, and was ordered by the Washington Township Municipal Court to pay a fine to the grieving family.So for their devasting loss, the mother and son, who have since moved to a new town and are in therapy for anxiety and PTSD, are only getting $3,000 from the pit bull’s owner.Now, the eighth-grader is seeking j...