Recently, a motorist in Germany received a speeding ticket in the mail, his vehicle having been captured by a traffic camera exceeding the posted limit.

Proof of this infraction, and the person responsible, was pretty much irrefutable in light of that photographic evidence.

But the image the camera captured actually showed someone else behind the wheel.

Appearing to be driving the vehicle is a small white dog, though he’s not known to be a car thief. The pup and car actually belongs to a Twitter user’s uncle, who was as shocked as anyone to see his pet had apparently been nabbed for speeding.

“My first reaction was: ‘That can’t be real,’” the nephew told The Dodo. “I think my uncle was just as surprised.”

Had the dog taken the car on an illegal joyride, unbeknownst to his owner? Well, not quite.

Turns out, the uncle was actually the one driving the car that day, with his dog alongside him. But at the exact moment they passed the traffic camera, the pup hopped up on his lap.

“Normally, the dog wears a special car belt for the safety,” the nephew said. “That day, my uncle forgot to put it on him, and the dog came to cuddle him [as he was driving]. The funny part is, he was in his lap for just three seconds.”

That was long enough to make the pup the prime suspect.

Though the uncle could probably have successfully contested the ticket, arguing a lack of proof that he was the perpetrator, he went ahead and handled the fine himself anyway.

“He paid it,” the nephew said. “But I can’t tell you what the authorities thought.”