Bosco the Motorcycle-Riding Dog's Owner Beats Cruelty Rap

The animal cruelty charge dropped for NJ man who built a padded platform on his motorcycle so his dog could take a "free ride" with him

"Bosco" the motorcycle-riding terrier will ride another day – perhaps in a carrier.

Authorities dropped the animal cruelty charge against Bosco’s owner Tuesday, who was caught riding his red BMW motorcycle in the rain with the dog.

Gyula Szatmari pleaded guilty to an unsafe driving charge instead, reports the Asbury Park Press.

The 56-year-old paid $449 in fines, surcharges and court costs in Municipal Court in Marlboro.

Szatmari was headed home to Tuckerton from his job in Roselle Park on Aug. 24 when he was pulled over in the rain on Route 18 in Marlboro. The 56-year-old was issued citations for careless driving and the improper transportation of an animal.

Szatmari admitted to police in August that he had been riding his bike with his Boston terrier sitting on a platform behind the windshield for years, Monmouth County SPCA Chief Victor "Buddy" Amato told the Asbury Park Press in August.

Amato, who was the first to spot the biker-dog duo and call police, told the Asbury Park Press that Szatmari was warned against transporting the dog this way last year.

Szatmari's attorney James Curran, told the Asbury Park Press Thursday that he thinks his client is going to get a special carrier in recognition of the animal control officer's concerns.

“I think he’s going to get a behind-the-rider dog carrier,” Curran told the Asbury Park Press.

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