E. Germany Said to Punish Defectors
- Share via
HAMBURG, West Germany — East Germany’s Communist authorities have refused to allow an 11-year-old dog to be reunited with its owners, who went to West Germany to visit relatives and refused to return, a newspaper reported.
The mass-circulation Bild Zeitung tabloid said Wednesday that East German officials had turned down a request to allow Elsa, a Boxer, to rejoin Gerd and Brigitte Bornschein.
The couple stayed in Duesseldorf rather than return to their home in Jena, where they had left the dog in the care of a relative, the newspaper added.
The dog has refused to eat because it misses the family, it said.
The report quoted officials of West Germany’s office of Inter-German Relations as saying they have interceded on behalf of the family.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
