Is it legal for an owner to be issued with a ticket because his dog is not wearing a seat belt? This is the question that several persons have been asking since news broke last week that a motorist was issued a traffic ticket because his dog was not wearing a seat belt.

According to the motorist, he was driving in the Corporate Area last week when he was stopped by a policeman. He said his one-year-old poodle was lying on the back seat of his motor car and the policeman queried why his dog was not wearing a seat belt. "I told the policeman that my dog was ill and I was taking him to a veterinarian but the policeman said that did not matter to him, he was only dealing with the law.

"The policeman then proceeded to write a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. I was wearing my seat belt when the policeman stopped me, so the ticket could not apply to me and it must have been because my dog was not wearing a seat belt. The policeman did not state on the ticket that the dog was not wearing a seat belt. The ticket only states failure to wear a seat belt. I told him I was not aware that the law required dogs to wear seat belts and the policeman said that he was only enforcing the law."

"I have asked several policemen if they knew anything about dogs wearing seat belts but they said they were not aware of that section of the law. On being questioned about the incident, a senior policeman said he checked but did not see any section in the Road Traffic Act which states that a dog must wear a seat belt.

"I know that people who are transporting animals must ensure that they are safely locked in the vehicle, but wearing a seat belt, I have never seen that in the law," he quoted the policeman as saying.

Another policeman said it would appear that the policeman who issued the ticket was treating the dog as a passenger, and that was the reason he issued the ticket. The motorist is now wondering whether to pay the fine for the ticket which was issued in his name or to have his day in court so that the judge can make a decision in the matter.

Failure to wear a seat belt attracts a fine of $500 but two points are taken off your licence for such a breach.