Dawgmobile impounded

The Dawgmobile’s stand-in costs the Dawgfather $50 a day (photo by Mel Hattie)

Most Dalhousie students know the Dawgfather. For those who don’t, he’s the man standing outside the Student Union Building (SUB) serving burgers and hot dogs. But recently, something’s been missing.

Two weeks ago, police impounded his distinctive multi-coloured van. Dawgfather PhD has been renting a U-Haul ever since, at $50 per day.

The Dawgfather says the van was impounded due to him not having the paperwork needed to drive the vehicle. While it’s rumored that the Dawgfather’s truck was impounded due to over $9,000 of unpaid tickets incurred on the Dalhousie University campus, he claims this is untrue.

“They seized my vehicle for no reason.”

“What happened on that day was I was stopped, tried, convicted and sentenced, all on one spot,” says the Dawgfather, “with no consideration whatsoever of due process”.

The Dawgfather claims that his vehicle was wrongly impounded. “Without a doubt,” he says, “he took my truck because he says that they don’t accept my out-of-town license, from Ontario. I stay in Ottawa, and I commute back and forth.”

The Dawgfather claims his vehicle is protected under the charter of rights and freedom’s protections against unreasonable search and seizure. “Oh, I am definitely getting it back, I am not going to try, I am going to get it back. We are suing the city, because you cannot violate someone’s charter rights like that!”

The Dawgfather admits his van has been taken before, however he says that his business “was not affected a great deal” by the seizure. He still sells every day, but now it costs him an extra $50 a day to rent a U-Haul.

This is the third incarnation of the Dawgmobile, says the Dawgfather. “That van I’ve had for about seven years,” he says. “I’ll probably pick up another one next year. I might even get a brand new one.”

In the meantime, the impounded van will be getting a new lick of paint. “I’m just waiting for my artist to get back from Czechoslovakia,” says the Dawgfather.

“The neon’s going to be so bright you’re going to need glasses.”

Both the Halifax Regional Police and Dal’s Security Services have declined to comment for this article.

Only one thing is for sure: this is not the last we will hear from the Dawgfather.