Can an urban authority just seize a dog and sell it on ebay? This question has occupied many pet owners in the past few days, after exactly that had happened: An employee of the city Ahlen near Münster in Westphalia had offered a pug lady named Edda online - which led to great indignation.
Now it looks like that the dog lady could soon return to her original owner. The city of Ahlen claims to be prepared to reverse the seizure and sale of the animal - "without recognition of legal obligation", as stated in a communication. "Here someone from our creative administration may have had an idea too much," said Mayor Alexander Berger.
Pug Lady Edda had been seized because the affected family, according to the city has high debt to the municipality. An urban employee had praised the dog on his private Ebay account as healthy and "with pedigree". According to media reports, he sold it for just under 700 euros. According to the "Rheinischer Post" the dog lives under the name "Wilma" for three months with his new owner in Wülfrath near Wuppertal.
DPA
Pug Lady Edda
The topic has been making headlines for days, even the New York Times reported. At the weekend, according to the "Rheinischer Post", there had been a crisis meeting in Ahlen town hall. Whether the dog is actually allowed back to Westphalia, however, is not yet certain: "The prerequisite for this is that the parties involved agree," the city said. But that is difficult.
"An animal is not a ping-pong ball that you can push back and forth," said the new owner of the "Rheinische Post". The animal was her heart grown, on no account would agree to a reversal. The woman is also mistaken by the city of Ahlen: her lawyer had sued because of the incurred veterinary costs of allegedly 2500 euros for the supposedly healthy dog the city Ahlen.
What is happening with Edda is unclear. According to media reports, there are several purchase offers for the now famous animal. The "Bild" newspaper reported by a family from the district of Wesel on the Lower Rhine, which allegedly offers almost 1400 euros. According to the "Rheinischer Post", a businesswoman from Great Britain should also have offered to take over all veterinary costs.
The case had recently reached the state level. "Geppfändige things are to be auctioned on written order of the municipal enforcement authority publicly," said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Interior on Saturday. If you offer a seized animal on a private Ebay account, you will not meet the prescribed requirements - which includes formalities such as time limits, public notice and minimum bids.
In the case of a dispute, the city would according to "picture" possibly take back the animal and refund all costs: "The city has to refund the purchase price and receives the pug back and can entrust him back to the family," the newspaper quotes the administrative law professor Gerhard Kilz.