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Runaway pooch closes U-Bahn line

A runaway dog closed down part of Vienna’s U4 metro line for 80 minutes on Wednesday evening.

Runaway pooch closes U-Bahn line
The pup fancied exploring the U4. Photo: Youtube

The female pooch escaped from a fenced-off dog park in Penzing and raced into Hietzing U-Bahn station shortly before 8pm.

She jumped onto the train tracks and ran off down the underground tunnel, pursued by her 38-year-old owner, several passers-by, as well as Wiener Linien employees.

The police were called and the U4 line had to be closed between Hietzing and Margaretengürtel. The power was shut off between these stations to avoid harming the fugitive hound and her pursuers.

Police spokesman Christoph Pölzl said capturing the dog proved tricky “as she was extremely agile”.

She led them on a merry chase of several kilometres, finally resurfacing at Meidling Hauptstrasse station where she was captured and returned to her owner.

TRAVEL

Meet the German airport dog sniffing out huge bundles of cash

Money talks, they say, but for some, money also smells.

Meet the German airport dog sniffing out huge bundles of cash
Here's an archive photo of Aki with some of her cash finds. Photo: DPA

Aki, a nine-year old Belgian Shepherd dog based at Frankfurt's international airport in Germany, sniffed out almost a quarter of million euros in cash from travellers in a few days.

Between the end of June and the start of July, Aki caught 12 passengers carrying a total of €247,280 ($290,540), according to the airport's customs office.

In one incident, the nosy mutt sniffed out almost €52,000 in the belt bag of a passenger.

Other cash was found in handbags, shoulder bags and inside jacket pockets.

“With her keen nose, Aki supports the custom officers… in the fight against tax evasion, money laundering and international terrorism,” said Isabell Gillmann, spokeswoman at the customs office in Frankfurt, Germany's business capital.

READ ALSO: Customs dog sniffs out €1.2 million in cash at Düsseldorf airport

All 12 travellers could face fines.

In 2019, customs officials in Frankfurt caught passengers carrying a total of around €23.6 million in undeclared cash.

According to EU laws in place since 2007, if passengers enter or leave the EU with €10,000 or more in cash, they must declare it and its origins to Customs.

These regulations are in place to help investigators detect any illegal activity involving high volumes of cash, such as drug trafficking or money laundering.

Corona dogs?

German sniffer dogs may also be put to use in the battle against coronavirus.

Researchers from Hanover's University of Veterinary Medicine found in July that man's best friend could detect Covid-19 in human samples, suggesting that in future they could be deployed in transport centres or sporting events.

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