A dog shot and injured by Keyport, N.J., police this year remains with the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals while summonses are pending against the pit bull’s owners, one of whom has organized a rally to regain custody.
Blaze has been living at the SPCA shelter in Eatontown for about a month and is nearly recovered from the gunshot wounds he suffered to his shoulder in a parking lot in Keyport Oct. 22, SPCA Chief Ross Licitra said Thursday.
The Monmouth County SPCA has had a long-standing policy that the owners can’t visit if they’re facing charge related to the dog.
“Regardless of who the owner may be, no owner is allowed to visit with their dog if (the dog) is being held by the county SPCA,” a spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said. “That’s a standard practice to protect the employees of the SPCA and the well-being/welfare of the dog.”
Licitra said the policy is now strictly enforced because of past incidents in which a dog attacked another animal or an employee. In one instance, a dog went “ballistic” when its owner arrived to visit and “mauled” a shelter worker, who suffered severe bites.
“It’s really stressful for the animal when it sees its owner and the owner then has to leave it,” Licitra said. “That’s why for dogs’ emotional stability, we don’t allow it. It’s heartbreaking.
“We want to get this dog home as quickly as possible. It’s bad for the dog, it’s bad for the owner, it’s bad for all of us. If the judge determines the dog should be released, the owner can take him home immediately.”
The shelter will consider requests to drop off special food or other treats for dogs being held, Licitra added.
One of Blaze’s owners — Alexyss Ferrera — is planning a rally outside borough hall in Keyport at 2 p.m. Thursday demanding the pit bull be allowed to come home.
A half-hour later she’s scheduled to be in her attorney Matthew Jordan’s Neptune office to participate in a virtual court hearing to answer a charge of possessing a dangerous dog as well as violations of borough ordinances. The charges were filed by the Monmouth County SPCA, which handles animal control in Keyport.
The summonses are “related to the dog’s aggressive behavior” and for the dog running unsupervised off of a leash, authorities said.
A 34-year-old Keyport man is facing the same charges.
An online petition to support Ferrera’s quest to get back Blaze has generated nearly 5,000 signatures and a groundswell of support on a local Facebook page.
Blaze spent about a week at an animal hospital before being moved to the SPCA’s shelter on Wall Street in Eatontown, where he has been since.
The prosecutor’s office released a Keyport police officer’s body camera footage following incident, which took place in a parking lot on Pine Street around 5:40 p.m.
Police were trying to find Blaze’s owners when the dog charged toward at least three officers. One of the officers drew his gun and shot the dog twice in the shoulder. The startled dog then scampered to a nearby garage.
Earlier, Blaze had gotten loose while being cared for by a relative of the owners. Blaze cornered a woman walking through the area with her own dog, according to the prosecutor’s office. A witness called police for help.
Ferrera’s supporters tell a different story. A Change.org petition titled “Bring Blaze Home” says a woman and her dog were on a walk when they encountered Blaze. The woman pet Blaze, and the two dogs interacted before they continued on their way, the petition says.
“Blaze continues on his walk (and) went to the park. He did not bother anyone,” the petition says.
Ferrera, who couldn’t be reached, posted Ring video on her Facebook page that she obtained from nearby home that shows a dog and person in the distance. The video was recorded from too far away to definitively show what happened, but a pair of Keyport police patrol cars roll up a short time later.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
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