Woman hounded over stuffed dog soft toy

A Bakersfield woman says she has been hounded by county animal control officers to licence her dog. Funny thing is, the pooch officials were so concerned about is a stuffed animal.

Dottie Elkin lives by herself in a quaint home in south Bakersfield. For the past few months the 83-year old says she's hated getting the mail, due to letters she's receiving from the Kern County Animal Control Department. "I told them I do not have a dog, it's a stuffed dog," Elkin said.

That's right, Elkin has a stuffed "guard dog" named Wolf, keeping watch at her front door. For the last six months she's been getting letters from animal control asking her to licence the dog or face a $200 fine.



"I laughed, and told all the neighbours around here it's stupidity," Elkin said.

Kern County Animal Control Director, Guy Shaw admits a mistake was made. Shaw says officers with the department's Public Education and Enforcement Team were looking for unlicenced dogs when they saw "Wolf" in the doorway of Elkin's home and noticed the dog didn't have any tags.

"We sent her letters, it was all a mistake," said the very sheepish county official. Shaw says Elkin won't have to pay any fines.

With news video.