Dog owners know that it's not just their pets that benefit from daily walks - the regular exercise helps keep humans fit and happy, too.
But the effort made by one County Durham man to avoid his part of the deal have left him without a driving licence, after police caught him using his car to walk his dog.
In the incident, which took place on a quiet Consett backroad, 23-year-old Paul Railton was spotted driving his Nissan Navara with the driver's window open, and a dog lead in his hand.
On the other end of the lead, a brown lurcher was trotting along next to the car - potentially facing oncoming traffic.
Police, who initially sent Railton on his way with a flea in his ear, later decided to charge him.
At Consett Magistrates' Court yesterday, he admitted not being in proper control of a vehicle and was given a fine of £66 and three penalty points which - under totting-up rules - saw him being barred from driving for six months.
Defending, Railton's solicitor Paul Donoghue said that his client accepted it was "a silly thing to do and there was an element of laziness".
But despite the admission of guilt, Railton seemed un-phased - even telling the court that "a lot of people exercise their dogs in that manner".
Speaking after the hearing, he told local newspaper The Journal: "It is a joke. I'm not bothered. I knew I'd get three points."
