Police in Italy have spotted a dog carrying trash outside and leaving it behind at a trash heap, saying the pup has been trained to illegally dump rubbish by its owner.
Fly-tipping, or the deliberate and illegal dumping of waste outside designated areas, is a criminal offense that carries a hefty fine in Italy… but that hasn’t stopped one dog owner from risking their pocketbook for the sake of convenience.
At least, that’s what local authorities in Sicily are claiming after spotting a small dog seemingly dumping bags of garbage at the end of a road on CCTV footage.
They’ve seen the dog perform this task two different times on security cameras, watching it take the bags to a trash heap on the street in the Catania’s San Giorgio district of Sicily.
Authorities say dog owner trained pup to dump rubbish illegally
The Municipality of Catania shared the footage on Facebook, accusing the dog’s owner of taking advantage of the animal to carry out their alleged crime and urging citizens to keep their environment clean.
“Ingenuity can never become an alibi for incivility,” they wrote. “The scene leaves little room for doubt: the animal was apparently trained to prevent its owner from being filmed dumping garbage illegally.
“[This] behavior that is as clever as it is doubly incorrect, because in addition to dirtying the city it attempts to evade the rules by exploiting the unwitting four-legged friend. Respect for urban decorum and the environment is everyone’s duty.”
Thus far, no further information has been released as to whether or not any legal action was taken against the dog’s owner, but it’s certainly sparking an animated conversation online as the news spreads to English-speaking outlets.
“He’s such a good boy,” one viewer said of the ordeal on TikTok.
“I’m sorry, that’s so funny,” another admitted.
“Are they going to charge the dog?” yet another joked.
Fly-tipping carries hefty fines in Italy, with amounts ranging up to €18,000 (~$21,000 USD) for throwing litter out of a car.
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