A family in a German town owed the city some unpaid tax money, so officials decided to seize their pet pug and sell the pooch on eBay in order to square up their debt.
Edda the pug was seized last year from a family living in Ahlen over unpaid taxes, including a dog tax, English-language broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.
The family tried to settle their debts through alternative methods, but the city impounded the animal because the dog had a high value, noting it had a pedigree.
READ MORE: Tommie, the dog that was tied to a pole and intentionally set on fire, has died
Ahlen treasurer Dirk Schlebes told Germany’s DPA news agency that foreclosure laws allowed the city to seize the pooch, noting the sale was legal.
A town official listed Edda on the German classifieds site, eBay Kleinanzeigen, for 750 euros (approximately $1120 Cdn).
“We got a slightly lower price and the money went into the town coffers,” Schlebes told dpa.
READ MORE: Firefighters revive unresponsive dog with CPR after pooch pulled from house fire
Deutsche Welle reported that Michaela Jordan, the woman who purchased the dog — who also happens to be a police officer — is suing the city after the animal became sick a week after being sold as healthy. The dog apparently underwent four operations to treat an eye infection.
Jordan is seeking compensation for the medical costs and a reimbursement for the purchase price of the dog.