One Lazy Person

Driver Fined After Walking Dog While In Car

Dog's Owner Acknowledged There Was 'Element Of Laziness'

Posted: 10:04 am EST March 2,2010Updated: 2:51 pm EST March 2,2010

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.