City workers in Germany have seized a family's pedigreed pet pug and sold the animal on eBay to cover the debts of its owners, including an unpaid dog tax.

Frank Merschhaus, spokesman for the city of Ahlen, told NPR in an email that the seizure of "the valuable pet" was "legally permissible" because of open claims by the city's treasury office.

However, he acknowledged that the method used to sell the dog might be open to criticism. "Obtaining the proceeds of the sale through a private eBay account was a very questionable decision by the enforcement officer," Merschhaus said in the email translated from German. He added that the city is undertaking an internal investigation.

"It cannot be ruled out that in some cases a staff member can sometimes make a misjudgment," he said.