Here's Real Laziness

[lizbud]

Driver in doghouse after walking pet while in car
Published - Mar 02 2010 03:16PM EST


LONDON— An English dog-owner has been fined after taking his pet for a stroll while driving next to him in his car. Prosecutors said Paul Railton was spotted driving at low speed along a country lane in December, holding his dog's leash through the car window as the animal trotted alongside.

Railton pleaded guilty Monday to not being in proper control of a vehicle. His lawyer, Paul Donoghue, said 23-year-old Railton acknowledged "it was a silly thing to do and there was an element of laziness" while exercising his lurcher, a type of crossbred sighthound.

Railton was ordered by magistrates in Consett, northeast England, to pay a 66 pound ($100) fine, plus costs.

He also received three more penalty points on his license and is now barred from driving for six months.

[RICHARD]

Me thinks I doth protest too much?

He gets fined for not being in control of the car?

What about not have control of your on pet on a leash?

[Catty1]

At least the idiot will have to WALK his dog for the next few months!

[king2005]

I don't see that as animal abuse... def. reckless driving!!!

If he wasn't forcing the dog to run, or dragging it, then its not abuse, IMO. I use to run a 200lb rottie tied to a 4 wheeler so I could tire him out, so I could then train him. The 4 wheeler was a last resort. I tried choak chains, halters, thin metal rope like choakers & nothing worked on that beast of a dog. He would drag 2 of us across several yards until we could no longer hold on to him. Then getting him back was anything but easy. it was only a matter of time he would be hit by a car, attack a dog, or was shot (we were out in the country).

The 4 wheeler was a blessing! It was something he couldn't over power & he was finally in control. Took a few weeks to get him semi trained to the point we didn't need the 4 wheeler anymore. Then a few months later our town got a Prong Collar. We bought it & that dog learned real fast not to pull. He was a wonderful dog, just completely out of control due to lack of puppy training.

Oh & he was NEVER dragged by the 4 wheeler. There was 2 of us on it.. 1 driving & the other holding raw meat to encourage him to chase us. We gave him the raw meat as a reward for chasing us. The leash was really long so if he stopped suddenly we had a good 20ft to stop before dragging him, which never happened as the person holding the food was vocally in control of the speed.

[Twisterdog]

I have to agree with king2005. I don't necesarily think this is cruel to the dog. Lazy, sure. But if the dog was trained to run beside the car, and knew what to do ... not confused and dashing about where it might be injured ... well, the dog was probably enjoying the run.

I wouldn't personally do it, but I see a lot of people here driving slowly down dirt roads in the desert, letting their dog run beside the truck. I've never seen anyone have one on a leash, though.

As for how safely he was driving, it depends on where he was driving. If there was no one else around for miles, and he was on a country dirt road, he probably wasn't really driving recklessly or endangering anyone. Probably a lot safer than people speeding down the highway, texting on a cell phone.

[Medusa]

Not only lazy but reckless. The dog may have been trained to run alongside the car but what if it spotted something, say a squirrel perhaps, and decided to chase after it? He could run in front of the car and even though it was going at a slow rate of speed, the dog still could've been killed or injured, perhaps even hung up on the leash.

[happylabs]

He probably got the idea from the movie Turner and Hooch. When Tom Hanks couldn't get Hooch into the car he drove home holding the dog handler thing with one arm and driving with the other.

[RICHARD]

I use to run a 200lb rottie tied to a 4 wheeler so I could tire him out, so I could then train him..

You did leave his arm and legs loose so he could steer and shift?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDEUcRRHnac

[Cataholic]

There is a guy in my neighbor hood that rides his bike with his black lab. Personally, I don't like it. It just seems dangerous to me.

[Kalei]

lol...now that is funny....pure laziness, something my fiance would think of doing on his tired days :P lol he would never do it though.

I guess that will teach him a lesson anyway.