Dog's Nazi salute lands owner in jail for five months

As a dog lover, Hitler would no doubt have been flattered – "Adolf" the part Alsatian mongrel was not only his namesake but also meticulously trained by his Berlin owner to raise his right paw in a Nazi salute every time the command "Heil Hitler!" was uttered.

But in a country where giving the Nazi salute even in jest has been strictly verboten since 1945, Adolf's canine tricks did not amuse the police or the judiciary.



Yesterday his owner, a pensioner named as Roland T, was starting what seemed like a draconian prison term of five months for repeatedly displaying banned Nazi symbols. His pet was dispatched to one of the city's animal homes.

The dog was pictured in newspapers and on Der Spiegel magazine's online site sitting in a kennel with the name "Adolf" chalked across its entrance.



Evamarie König, a spokeswoman for the kennel, said she hoped the animal would find a new home soon. "He is healthy and obedient and we think he will find another owner quickly because he is so famous," she said.

The dog is to be renamed Adi.