Hot dog survives locker ordeal at Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle

FILE - Castle Neuschwanstein, a 19th century creation by Bavaria's fairy tale king Ludwig II and world renowned tourist attraction, is pictured in Hohenschwangau near Fuessen, southern Germany, on Monday, May 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File) (Matthias Schrader/AP)

BERLIN — A dog was rescued from a locker for valuables at Neuschwanstein Castle in southern Germany after its owner shut her pet inside over the objections of other tourists so that she could visit the famous attraction, police said on Sunday.

Neuschwanstein, a picture-postcard castle with surging turrets nestled in the Alps near the border with Austria, is one of Germany’s top tourist attractions.

Despite it being a hot summer’s day and half the locker already having been filled by a pram, the woman locked the dog inside the small space and left to tour the castle, police in the nearby town of Fuessen said in a statement. Security staff were alerted and freed the dog, they added.

“The dog was fortunately unharmed but visibly glad when it was rescued from the already hot locker,” the police statement said, adding that officers deployed to the scene took him back to the police station.

The police did not specify what breed the dog was but said it was of “medium” size and about 60 cm (two feet) tall at the shoulder. An officer on duty at Fuessen police station contacted by telephone said the dog was a mongrel.

Police said they had initiated criminal proceedings against the owner on suspicion of breaking Germany’s animal welfare law.

Reporting by Ralf Bode and Francois MurphyEditing by Gareth Jones