SPARTA — A family in Sparta is being threatened and harassed after a photo of their sick dog was used in misleading online posts, according to a report on NJHerald.com.

Roni and Elysia Amiel decided to bring their 8-year-old Mastiff Zoey home after the dog was diagnosed in April with terminal kidney failure. In June, after the condition had weakened Zoey and made her frail and thin, a neighbor spotted her sleeping on the Amiels' lawn and snapped a photo, the report said.

The neighbor reported the emaciated dog to police, who sent the township's animal control officer to the scene. Zoey, not wearing a collar or identification, was taken to a local animal hospital and euthanized, the report said.

But a few months later, the picture of the emaciated Mastiff was placed online, where it raised the ire of online animal activists, according to the report.

One of the posts, from Pennsylvania animal rescue group Lulu's Rescue, showed the picture, along with the Amiels' names, hometown, and a warning that "they were extremely neglectful to (Zoey)" and "destroyed" the dog. It cautioned groups not to allow them to adopt another dog.

That group has since posted a correction and apology to their Facebook page, but police say that post, and the countless others by animal activists, have taken a toll on the family.

"This misrepresentation has led to the Amiel family being victimized, harassed and threatened by hundreds if not thousands of social network subscribers," Sparta Police Sgt. John-Paul Beebe said in a statement.

"The accusations that have been directed at the family are baseless in fact, harassing in nature and in some respect criminal," Beebe said.

The township's detective bureau is determining if criminal charges should be filed, the report said. No abuse charges were ever filed against the Amiels.

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