MAN BUSTED FOR TRAINING DOG TO DUMP TRASH ILLEGALLY

Authorities in Catania, Italy, say one crafty dog’s late-night routine has led to a hefty fine — not for the pup, but for its owner.

Municipal CCTV cameras recently captured footage of a dog trotting down a street with what appeared to be plastic trash bags clutched in its mouth. The dog calmly dropped the bags along the roadside before turning around and heading back the way it came. After reviewing the surveillance video, police concluded the animal had likely been trained to dump the garbage illegally to help its owner avoid being caught on camera.

“Inventiveness… can never be an alibi for incivility,” officials wrote on Facebook, calling the act unfair and disrespectful to the environment.

Authorities fined the dog’s owner, noting that under Italian law, illegal dumping carries penalties ranging from $1,770 to $21,200. While the law doesn’t mention dogs, officials made it clear: responsibility ultimately lies with the human holding the leash.