Dog locks locksmith out of his van

A locksmith turned to social media to appeal for help after his dogs locked him out of his work van, with his tools trapped inside.

Peter Macann, 31, from Dereham, Norfolk, said he was on his way to help a customer earlier this month when he stopped to put air in his tyres at a service station.

Mr Macann, who has not been a locksmith for long, said one of his French bulldogs inside the vehicle stood on the central locking button and locked him out.

After turning to Facebook to make a plea for help, Mr Macann said he finally gained access to his vehicle more than an hour later when one of the dogs stood on the central locking button once again.

He said the animals were "completely unbothered by the incident".

Mr Macann said the incident happened on 11 January and he had left his only set of keys in the ignition.

"I'm a 24-hour locksmith so I had a job at about 21:00, and I went to put air in the tyres, went to pay for it, got back and I just couldn't get in," he said.

"I didn't want to call another locksmith or tell my customer I had locked myself out of my van."

Mr Macann turned to the Dereham Community Notice Board Facebook group asking for assistance.

"I'm actually a locksmith but all of my tools are inside the car," he wrote. "Oh the irony."

One person commented: "One tool is left standing outside in the cold."

Mr Macann, who saw the humour in the situation, said his search for help was unsuccessful, but thankfully his dogs Bella and Vinnie came to the rescue by somehow standing on the button again.

He said he was "too embarrassed" to tell his customer that evening why he was running late.

"I just said I got caught in traffic," he said.

Mr Macann said his dogs often travelled in the car with a harness, but he would now be "extra vigilant" that they were strapped in.

He also pledged to carry a second set of keys.

The RAC said Rule 57 of the Highway Code states dogs should be suitably restrained while in a vehicle so they do not distract the driver or cause injury to themselves or others in the event of an accident.

While there is no specific law about how a dog should travel, the breakdown company advises drivers to use a proper harness or dog seat belt to secure animals and prevent them from moving around a vehicle.

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