Debt collector seizes family's prized pug and sells it on eBay

A city spokesman on Thursday called it 'a pragmatic solution' to an outstanding debt. But the case has prompted outrage from animal welfare activists and others in the city of Ahlen, raised questions about the cruelty of the seizure and spurred debate about whether any German laws had been broken. 'I didn't know what was more outrageous, the fact that they seized the dog, or the fact that they put it on eBay,' said Birgitt Thiesmann, an activist at Vier Pfoten, a German animal protection charity. The unidentified family of five — including three young children — had fallen behind on bills. The husband had been left a paraplegic after a work-related injury, according to local news reports. Among other debts to the city, the family owed the dog tax, which is levied by cities and communities across Germany. In Ahlen, population 57,000, the tax for having one dog is nearly $90 a year. 'In general, it's illegal to seize pets for payment,' said Nicoline Schuleit, a lawyer who specializes in animals in the neighbouring town of Bielefeld. But she noted that exceptions can be made for particularly valuable pets. The city insisted that the confiscation last year and subsequent sale of the animal were legal and justified the decision to seize the dog as an asset. Officials said the price of the pug — set at 750 euros or best offer on eBay, which some called a steal — met the legal test of whether the pug was valuable. Dailyhunthttps://www.ulule.com/kivonlewisse/#/

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