A 13-year-old New Jersey boy had to draft his own legislation after a 200-pound pit bull mauled his 5-pound Chihuahua to death in front of him — and animal control told him it wasn't a crime because his dog was just property, like a piece of furniture.

This is what government failure looks like. When the state won't protect citizens from dangerous animals and irresponsible owners, ordinary Americans are left to do the job themselves. Zander Zaki-Elba shouldn't have to play state senator. But Gloucester County Animal Control didn't show up until the next morning, and when they finally did, they told Zander's mother, Alicia Stinglen, there was nothing they could do. "They told me 'It's not a crime. Your dog is a piece of property, like a dresser. And that's all he is,'" Stinglen told NJ Advance Media.

Last March, Zander watched a pit bull savage his dog Moksha outside his family's Washington Township apartment. He ran home to get his mother. When they returned, a neighbor — covered in blood — was performing mouth-to-mouth on the Chihuahua. It was too late. "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," Zander told the outlet.

The pit bull's owner? Charged with failing to license the animal and owning a dangerous dog. Ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. That's the going rate for a child's trauma in New Jersey. The family has since moved towns and is in therapy for anxiety and PTSD. Stinglen says she was never even told whether the pit bull was put down.

Zander's proposed "Moksha Law — Companion First Rights Act" would let pet owners recover damages for emotional distress from the wrongful death of a companion animal. Current New Jersey law, per the state Supreme Court, only allows recovery of the animal's market value. Similar bills have been introduced in the State Senate in recent years. None passed. The Legislature had its chance and did nothing.

New Jersey Sen. Paul Moriarty told the outlet he was "very touched" by Zander's letter and that he doesn't believe pets are the same as furniture. Fine words. We'll see if they become law or stay in the drawer with the other dead bills.

Gloucester County Animal Control did not respond to the New York Post's request for comment.

The open question: Why does a 13-year-old have to shame the system into doing its job? Animal control was a day late. The courts handed down a fine. The Legislature sat on its hands. Stinglen put it plainly: "They stole his childhood, but because he didn't get physically bit, nobody cares."