A woman has been fined for riding a motorbike with a dog strapped to her chest in a Temu harness on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Highway patrol officers pulled over the rider when they noticed her furry companion on the Alexandra Parade about 2pm on Saturday last week.
Police body-cam vision showed the dog harnessed in with its paws propped up on the bike, leaving the officer stunned.
“I’m not saying it’s the first time I’ve seen it, I’ve never seen the whole harnessing thing before,” the officer could be heard saying.
“Unfortunately, you can’t be riding around with a dog between your arms like that.”
The woman said she had bought the harness online.
“Yeah, no, I didn’t know. I bought this off Temu,” she said.
Senior Sergeant Shane Panoho noted that although the dog seemed at ease on the motorcycle, it could have been a potential danger to other drivers or pedestrians.
“The owner bought the harness from an online store without considering the safety issues, especially if the dog were to interact unexpectedly with other vehicles, pedestrians, or animals,” he explained.
“This could place the rider and her pooch in harm’s way or put other motorists at risk.”
The woman, a 35-year-old from Maroochydore, received a $376 fine.
