Retiree jailed for stupid Nazi dog trick

BERLIN, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- A German retiree has been jailed for five months for teaching his dog, named Adolf, to give the Nazi salute when someone said "Heil Hitler."

The owner, a Berlin resident identified only as Roland T., was also sentenced for violating the ban on Nazi symbols by wearing Hitler T-shirts and displaying other insignia, the British newspaper, The Independent, reported.

Adolf, now in a Berlin animal shelter, has been renamed Adi. The part-Alsatian mongrel is available for adoption.

Roland T. claimed his dog was born on Hitler's birthday. Saying recently fines had left him without enough money to feed his pet, he threatened to have him put to sleep on the anniversary of Hitler's suicide.

Adolf was something of a celebrity, pictured in newspapers and on the Web giving the raised arm salute.

The use of Nazi symbols like the swastika and phrases like "Sieg Heil" and "Heil Hitler" have been banned in Germany since the end of World War II.