Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has strongly denied charges that she shot her neighbor’s dog, saying the man who did so had the right to kill the pet after it attacked several of her goats.
“I’ve never shot a dog — ever,” the avid gun rights advocate told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview on Monday.
Her denial came after Yaritza Mendoza, a 21-year-old neighbor in Silt, Colorado, took to Facebook to accuse Boebert of murdering her two-year-old husky, Omega.
“On August 17, 2022, you took my best friend with the ‘power’ of your weapon,” Mendoza wrote.
The young woman said it took her two months to come forward because she had to “find the courage to speak publicly about the emotional trauma you have caused me and many others.”
Lauren Boebert holds Dolly, a goat she bottle-fed from birth and who she believes was murdered in October last year by the Saint Bernard of Yaritza Mendoza
Boebet provided DailyMail.com with a video of her comforting Liberty, a goat that was attacked by the husky, Omega
Mendoza posted photos of her huskies on her Facebook page, saying: ‘Like any dog, Omega had a wild instinct to hunt’
“I didn’t hear from you that you killed her,” she continued. “I heard from the authorities who also handed me a quote for a ‘dog in general’ along with the devastating news.”
“Any decent and humane person would have grabbed my dog and talked to her owner about the situation. Still, you decided to grab her, shoot her, and then dump her far from home,” she added.
Mendoza even blamed Boebert’s family, saying Omega was taken to the enclosure where the goats were housed by the congressman’s son. She said the dog considered the area “a trusted property.”
Mendoza ended on a political note, saying, “I hope that when the election comes around, people can learn and realize how heartless you really are. The world is filled with corrupt, power hungry people like you. We should not put people like you in the position of ‘power’ you are in. But unfortunately you are here.’
She signed her message “Sincerely, Omega’s best friend.”
But when approached by the DailyMail.com, Mendoza wouldn’t back her own post.
When asked if Boebert shot her dog, she told DailyMail.com, “I’m not sure, I’ll have to find out.
“I need to step back for a moment,” she said, dodging further questions. “I’m not ready to release anything to media sources.”
Boebert often carries a gun when she speaks at political rallies. She is pictured in June speaking at a party for her reelection bid. She faces a tougher-than-expected battle against Democrat Adam Frisch
Yaritza Mendoza said her husky Omega was ‘not a violent dog’ and Boebert knew that because she allowed her son to play with her
Local police and the prosecutor’s office also refuted Mendoza’s claim.
“I can assure you it was not Lauren Boebert who shot the dog,” a spokesman for the Garfield County Sheriff told DailyMail.com.
The congressman said it was her neighbor Brady Hogan who killed Omega, and only after the dog and another Mendoza husky attacked three of her goats.
“They were viciously attacked in the neck and backside,” Boebert said. “Two dogs at each end of each goat.”
“Her dogs went all over the neighborhood, killing chickens and turkeys and cats and other goats, and harassing other livestock,” she added. “So (Hogan) went in there and neutralized the threat.”
Boebert, 35, pointed out that Hogan shot another of Mendoza’s dogs last October, after killing half a dozen other animals nearby, including hers.
Colorado – like most states – allows dogs to be killed for attacking livestock. The law says, “Any dog found running, worried, or injuring sheep, cattle, or other livestock may be killed, and the owner or caretaker of such a dog is liable for any damage it causes.”
And according to Boebert, Mendoza has a third dog that the congresswoman says is “terrorizing the neighborhood.”
“She has a husky that still crawls into my goat house and other people’s goat houses, and I know there have been calls and witnesses all over the neighborhood,” she told DailyMail.com.
“He was with one of my goats a few days ago, with a cut on his leg.”
Mendoza posted a lengthy screed on her Facebook page stating that she had taken two months to make her accusation public, saying she is “no longer afraid” of the right-wing blazing congresswoman
Boebert responded with her own tweet defending Hogan for killing Omega
“This is a very dog-friendly community,” she continued. “And there are a lot of dogs around, and people know everyone’s animals. Unfortunately we got to know Yari’s dogs in a very bad way.’
Hogan, 51, confirmed Boebert’s story.
“My girlfriend showed me the (Mendoza) social media post yesterday and I was flabbergasted by it, especially given the frenzy women’s dogs have had,” Hogan told DailyMail.com.
“She pretends to be a victim and says Lauren shot the animals, and she really isn’t.”
“I spoke to the police on both occasions and said I killed the dogs – a Saint Bernard the first time and a husky the second time,” he said.
“The animals were both on Lauren Boebert’s property when I shot them, but she wasn’t involved at all.
“On the first round, Lauren wasn’t even in the state. The second time they were here, but not at home. I heard what was happening and couldn’t get hold of anyone, so I jumped over the fence and went over there and shot the dog.’
“This had been going on for quite some time,” Hogan continued.
He said he initially shot the dogs with a BB gun in an attempt to scare them off, but that didn’t work.
Boebert owned a restaurant called Shooters in Rifle, Colorado, which encouraged diners to pack. It closed in July after the landlord decided not to renew her lease
Staff at Boebert’s former restaurant were armed, consistent with Boebert’s strong support for Second Amendment rights
The drama took place on Boebert’s ranch in Silt, Colorado, three hours west of Denver
“I had shot those dogs in broad daylight with a BB gun, I just wanted to scare them away. But that didn’t matter anymore, and they still attacked and killed goats. I have a herd of goats and so does the congressman.
“And the dogs started slaughtering goats, and then I really had to kill them.”
He suspects the Facebook post, which is circulating online, is a political hit.
“This has never happened before, just a few weeks before the election,” Hogan said. “It seems ridiculous because I explained what happened.
“I’m sure this is all happening because of the election season,” he said.
“Here’s the catch. I’m not a big fan of Lauren Boebert, but I border on their property and we have a shared interest in these animals. When all this happened, if there was no one to stop it, those dogs would have continued to kill all our goats.”