Dogs can do many things — eat garbage, give kisses, solve crimes on TV. One thing they cannot do, however, is drive, which one 26-year-old Florida resident finally learned last week.
The Bradenton Patch reports that cops started to chase Reliford Cooper III after catching him speeding around 7:45 p.m. last Wednesday. After being handcuffed, Cooper allegedly told cops that “I wasn’t driving that car,” because -- take a deep breath -- "my dog was driving that car.”
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Seems reasonable.
The Manatee County’s Sheriff's office was, surprisingly, less convinced. After chasing him through two ditches, and later a house, police accused Cooper of driving under the influence. And while cops at the scene couldn’t spot any dog on site, they could smell alcohol and marijuana.
If Cooper’s allegation is true, this will likely be the first time — in all of Florida’s history — that a drunk fluffy house pet has engaged in a high speed chase, before driving into a ditch and surviving.
Cooper could go to jail, but consequences for the puppy are even more severe. If found guilty, the pup may be told, “You're a bad boy,” before being stripped of his toys and forced to hear the violent swoosh of a newspaper.