What if you had animals that were considered employees at your workplace?

That’s more or less the effect of a ruling by Norway’s Supreme Court: Police dogs should be considered civil servants, just as the police officers who work with them are.

The ruling was necessary in the case of a man breaking into a house. He was chased down by police dog Vera. Once he was in handcuffs, the burglar struck the German Shepherd.

The man was found guilty of burglary, but charges that he had attacked a civil servant were thrown out in two lower courts.

The country’s highest court reinstated that charge, according to wire service reports.

Attacking a civil servant carries a possible three-year prison term.

The court said since the officer and dog work as a unit, an attack on the dog is the same as an attack on an officer.

No word on Vera’s reaction to the verdict. 

Tags: civil servants, court, dog, judge