ARLINGTON, Va. -- A Virginia woman said she was furious with a local towing company, not because it hauled away her car, but because it did so with her dog inside.
"I came back and my car was gone," Jennifer Geisler said. "So, I panicked."
Tucked inside her car was an eight-year-old golden retriever the Geislers call "Red Dog." Red Dog often is left comfortably in the car as she tags along on errands, Geisler said.
This time, her trip ended at the impound lot for Advanced Towing in Arlington.
"He said, 'we know your dog is in the car, ma'am. It doesn't matter; you shouldn't have parked there,'" Geisler said. She said she did not see the no-parking sign.
Geisler said she could not believe the towing company took such a hard line, especially with Red Dog riding shotgun.
"You just never know what type of issues someone's pet has or what type of care it needs," she said. "For you to take it to an unfamiliar location and leave it there until somebody comes and pays the fine is absurd."
Geisler said she would have preferred the towing company boot her car, instead of towing it when they saw the dog.
The company isn't apologizing.
A spokesperson said Geisler was illegally parked, and that while situations like this are rare, the company won't hesitate to call animal control if a pet is left unattended to penalize the owner.
