Sydney  - The owner of a dog left tied to a fence in the northern Australian city of Darwin returned to find a parking ticket taped to its lead, news reports said Friday.

Witness Ray McEvoy told the Northern Territory News that he was amazed by the episode because the dog was in the shade and no bother to anyone.

"The lady tied the dog to the fence and gave him a bowl full of water and off she went into the markets," he said. "Then two traffic inspectors came along. They had a bit of a talk and to my amazement wrote out a warning infringement notice for the dog and taped it to his lead rope."

The owner took the dog and went in search of the traffic wardens.

Darwin City Council spokesman Grant Fenton said a dog was considered to be a menace if it wasn't with its owner. He refused to condemn the action of the traffic wardens.

"You can't tie up a dog and leave it," he said. (dpa)