London - An English dog-owner has been fined after taking his pet for a stroll while driving next to the animal in his car.

Prosecutors said Paul Railton was spotted driving at low speed along a country lane in December, holding his dog's leash through the car window as the animal trotted alongside.

Railton pleaded guilty Monday to not being in proper control of a vehicle.

His attorney, Paul Donoghue, said the 23-year-old Railton acknowledged that "it was a silly thing to do and there was an element of laziness" while he was exercising his lurcher, a type of crossbred sighthound.

Railton was ordered by magistrates in Consett, in northeastern England, to pay a 66-pound ($100) fine, plus costs.

He also received three more penalty points on his license and is now barred from driving for six months.