British Man Loses License for Walking Dog While Driving Car

A 23-year-old British man was charged with reckless driving and lost his license after police witnessed the man, Paul Railton, driving his car and walking his dog, a lurcher, alongside the vehicle as he held the dog's leash out of the driver's side window.

Railton pled guilty to "not being in proper control of a vehicle," reports the (U.K.) Guardian. He was fined the equivalent of about $100 and -- due to prior penalty points accumulated on his license -- was banned from driving for six months.

The matter was initially brought to the police's attention by a concerned cyclist, who was riding down a country road and spotted what appeared to be a dog being dragged alongside a car that was traveling at about five miles per hour, reports the Guardian.

Railton's lawyer admits that his client didn't use the best judgment. "He accepts it was a silly thing to do and there was an element of laziness. He does not usually drive in a such a manner," the Guardian reports attorney Paul Donoghue as saying.

But Railton doesn't think there was anything wrong with what he did. "A lot of people exercise their dogs in that manner," Fox 5 News reports Railton as saying.

"It was something that was done at one time," expert dog trainer Sarah Wilson, author of numerous books, including My Smart Puppy, tells Paw Nation, referring to the Monks of New Skete. "But it was traditionally with two people. For the average pet person, the answer is no, for all the long list of reasons. Think of what could happen if the dog stumbles or bolts."

The Monks of New Skete, who offer dog training seminars at their monastery in Cambridge, N.Y., agree with Wilson. "It was an old training method we used about 30 years ago, but things have changed and we don't do it anymore," one of the monks, Brother Ambrose, tells Paw Nation. "And besides, when it was done, it was on a driveway, not a public road, and one person drove while the other person was in the back of a pickup truck holding the leash or rope as the dog followed. We don't recommend anyone walking their dog alongside a car while driving. The dog could really get hurt."

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