Manchester council have just taken Clementine to the compound.
Lifted from the side of the road onto the back of a low loader and taken away.

Here's the rub, our dog was on the front seat when they took her away

Is transporting the vehicle with the dog inside illegal.
Or is damanding money for the release of the dog (and car) just plain kidnap? Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

I'm sorry but this is very similar to another thread getting a lot of attention, I take it your car was parked illegally?

If so tough, you took the choice to chance it, don't look for sympathy by using the dog as an excuse to put the lifters at fault.

No parked legally - with an hour to go.

Worse than that no tax disc. genuinly forgot - hardley likely to pay £850 insurance and not pay the tax.
No the rub is the Mrs. she is still distraught hours later, thinking someone had stolen the car, then disposed of the dog. We rang the police no luck they had no idea, stopped a traffic warden he advised me the car had been towed, we rang the council, they didn't care that there was a dog inside, and still refused to release the car/dog until the fine was paid. Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

Have you retrieved the dog now?

I wonder if they saw the dog when it was lifted, Not letting you get the dog though is bang out of order, typical of the people in these positions chosen specially from the lower teaches of the gene pool.

Sorry for my terse response earlier, jetlag, medication and no beer, now I'm after sympathy

Got the dog back - wife still very upset.

Got the car back, they were bang to rights with the tax disc, it's out of date.
If you can remember back to late 2011, I was rammed up the rear by a numpty in a Nissan. Spent months getting Clementine back on the road, taxed her and tested her, never thought any more. Not had a reminder for the tax since.
To make matters worse I will need the logbook to get another tax disc, can't find it anywhere, think I sent it to his insurers as proof of ownership, but can't remember who they were. Another £25 for a duplicate!

Don't worry about the response - we all get tired and emotional from time to time

Still the question stands - have they committed an offence? if so I would like to give them back a little of their own medicine. Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

Our little monsters are happy to lay in the back, secured to the anchor points and behind a guard. They did the 300 mile each way trip to Cornwall and back last year without so much as a whine.....

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That's not good Andy, I would seek advice on wether they are allowed to seize a car with a dog inside and throw the book at them for undue distress

But don't play on it too much on here, people will say your trying to distract from the no tax issue just like they did regarding the recent thread about the child been in the car and been pulled for speeding  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

The challenge here is separating the issues of the car and the dog

Both the firm doing the towing, and the pound where the car ended up inherited a duty of care for the animal. Presumably the Council has a contract with both, and cascades the powers down for them to carry out the work.

I am guessing the best bet would have been to call the RSPCA to be involved, for an animal in danger of distress, and they would have used their knowledge/powers to negotiate for the animal to be released independently of the vehicle. I believe they can call the police to assist if they feel it is warranted.

Always easy in hindsight, but you were going to struggle getting the car released without due process on no visible tax.

If I am wrong I am sure someone will succinctly put me right. Never tell me the odds.

The only printed info I can find is the Highway code.
Remember in the highway code "must" is law, everything else is advisory, so words like sould have no legal bearing.

57 When in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly. A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars.

The word must is missing, as long as the dog was uninjured, and there was no danger of driver distraction I am going to struggle.


On the tax issue Manchester council are bang to rights. The DVLA didn't send me a renewal, more importantly I didn't check, my only defence is that I have only been home for 8 days since the beggining of the year. - good news is that the car starts every time, on original 2008 battery and being left for over two weeks at a time Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

Hi dog lovers. I just purchased this dog carrier. Fits perfectly in the Freely, even with the boot liner in place.
http://www.mpbergamo.com/P/5/Dogs/Carriers/Bracco-100.html
I bought it in Italy, 139euros, but here is a UK supplier I just found. http://www.pawstrading.co.uk/crates--cages-13-c.asp
Dogs seem very pleased with it as well. No more nose marks all over the windows nor dog hairs trapped in the cloth on the back of the seats.
I really appreciate the large wing mirrors now!
Look in my gallery for photo of box installed in car.

We've found that if the dog is able to see out of the window, then a happier journey ensues... no dog being travel sick etc. Does use of a crate prevent the dog seeing out & therefore is the chance of dog + sick increased? ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...

Hi Piattj,
No problem with travel sickness yet. Our dogs can see out of the back window when in the box. I do tend to drive a bit slower when I have them with me, especially around curves...of which there are a lot where we live.

Piattj,
Is your dog a whippet or Greyhound or...? Nice choice of headgear. Must be a lady!

Here is my two, I have the LR half height dog guard but both of mine like to lie down so don't do much moving around whilst the cars moving.




 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

Splash wrote:

Piattj,
Is your dog a whippet or Greyhound or...? Nice choice of headgear. Must be a lady!

Ha ha... Molly the (lazy) greyhound!  ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...