Off to the police station!

Like a traffic hooligan: Dachshund “Anneliese” pulled over

Evi Krismer now secures her dog properly. A mugshot of the “offender” circulated on social media.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Johanna Birbaumer, privat)

Not wearing a seatbelt in the car—that’s not allowed for dogs, of course. Dachshund “Anneliese” learned this the hard way during a traffic stop by law enforcement in the Tyrolean Oberland. The dog was also summoned, along with her owner, to the Imst police station.

It happened shortly before her fourth birthday. “Anneliese,” the dachshund belonging to Evi Krismer of Imst, was sitting relaxed in the back seat of a car. Franz Krismer, the brother of the Imst hotel manager, was driving through Tarrenz (Imst district) when the police stopped the car for a traffic check.

Puppy-dog eyes for the police officer
“The young officer conducted a very thorough inspection, but didn’t find anything at first,” Evi Krismer explains. Until his gaze fell on “Anneliese.” She greeted him back with puppy-dog eyes.

That didn’t help much, though, because the officer objected to the four-year-old lounging unsecured in the back seat. That was simply not allowed—and of course, he was right.

Evi and Franz Krismer with the dog in question(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

But what happened next left the dog’s owner shaking her head in disbelief. The police officer initially prohibited Franz Krismer from continuing his journey with the dog. Rules are rules.

“Anneliese” remained completely calm at the police station
And then came the real kicker: “Anneliese” and her owner were summoned to the police station in the Oberland market town. There, Krismer and her dachshund were required to present that small connector and the dog harness used to attach the animal to the seatbelt. “Anneliese” remained calm—just as one would expect.

I didn’t like the threat of filing a complaint with the district administration if we didn’t go to the police station. That’s not how people treat each other in a small town. 

Evi Krismer, Frauchen von „Anneliese“

Temporary dog restraint
To avoid having to “trudge” home on foot with “Anneliese,” we agreed on a temporary way to secure the dog in the car. This way, her owner and “Anneliese” were still able to drive back to Imst in the car and explain the situation to her owner’s wife.

Threat of a report to the district administration
She took the police officer’s request seriously and subsequently purchased the necessary equipment for proper securing. Otherwise, she would face a complaint from the district administration. Two days later, she showed up at the station with “Anneliese.” She placed the dachshund, along with the connector and dog harness, on the counter and confessed: “Here is the culprit!”

This is how Anneliese is secured in the car according to regulations.(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

Confusion at the police station
The officer on duty wasn’t familiar with the situation; Krismer first had to explain the matter to him. Even then, however, the police officer still wasn’t quite sure what to do. Ultimately, the matter was resolved with a note, and the dog and her owner “darted” off again.

No hard feelings toward the police
Krismer isn’t angry at the police. She does think, however, that an on-the-spot fine would have sufficed. The threat of a summons—that didn’t sit well with her. “In a small town, people don’t treat each other that way,” she says.