Only in Germany: drunk man & his horse sleep it off - in an ATM lobby

Even PETA can't quibble with this one.

From AP:

BERLIN — An early-morning German bank customer had a bit of a shock when he found a horse already in line at the automatic teller machine in front of him. It seems the horse's owner, identified only as Wolfgang H., had a bit too much to drink the night before and decided to sleep it off inside the bank's heated foyer, police said Tuesday.

The 40-year-old machinist told Bild newspaper he had had "a few beers" with a friend in Wiesenburg, southwest of Berlin, and decided to hit the hay in the bank on his way home.

"It was late, it was already dark and cold," he was quoted as saying.

Confronted with the lack of a hitching-post, he brought the 6-year-old horse, named Sammy, in along with him.

When a customer came across the horse and sleeping rider in the bank at 4:15 a.m. Monday, he called police, who then came and woke the owner up and sent him on his way.

No charges were filed, but there might be some cleanup needed: Apparently Sammy made his own after-hours deposit on the carpet.

I got a kick out of this one. Hey, give the guy some credit - he didn't want to leave the horse out in the cold, or chance it that a stranger could make off with his horse or worse, so he brought Sammy in from the cold.

It's stories like these that make me smile at my German heritage. I'm glad someone got a picture of it before waking the guy up and sending him home.

I wonder if the man would have received a DUI-equivalent if police had caught him riding while intoxicated? Imagine having to explain that one to your significant other - that you're a convicted "drunk rider."

Hat Tip to HuffPo for carrying this story
Photo from AP