The following story actually happened!I wouldn’t have believed it myself if it hadn’t been reported by the German police, following a first-hand experience the likes of which you don’t hear about every day.
A man in Rostock, North-Eastern Germany, had to pay a fine and will likely face a tax evasion lawsuit after he claimed that his Spanish Water Dog was actually a sheep, to avoid paying a mandatory tax. In Germany, dog owners must pay a “dog tax” – ranging 24 to 100 euros ($25 to $107) – and equip their pets with a special tag confirming that they paid the license. This does not apply to pet sheep (remember that, it’s important).
Last Wednesday, the man in question was spotted walking his dog in the Rostock harbor area, by a harbor security officer. Paying your taxes is apparently a big deal in Germany, because after noticing that the animal did not have the tag confirming that the dog tax had been paid, he confronted the owner about it. To his surprise, the man appeared shocked by the question and replied that his pet was not a dog, but a sheep. At first, the harbor employee thought it was a joke, but the man stuck to his original answer, so he had mo choice but to ask for the man’s ID and notify the police about him.
Photo: Rostock Police
The next day, the 35-year-old unnamed “sheep” owner got a visit from the police, who requested to see the animal. They too were convinced it was a dog, but the owner insisted it was in fact a sheep, and even produced a pet passport that confirmed his claim. How he managed to get a sheep passport for a dog is still a mystery, but the seemingly legit document managed to confuse policemen, who decided that the only way to get to the bottom of this was to call an expert. A veterinarian was called to inspect the animal, and he officially confirmed that the “sheep” was a Spanish Water Dog.
Photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sanchez
The owner was fined for failing to pay the dog tax and now likely faces a tax evasion lawsuit. Nice try, though…
Photo: Wikipedia
