It is the last call you would expect from a wife: She dialled 911 to try to stop her husband from leaving a bar in the final hours of the long holiday weekend.

Todd Nehls, the head of the Sheriff's Department in Dodge County, Wisconsin, said the 35-year-old woman called emergency dispatchers early Monday morning "to complain that her husband wanted to leave the bar and would not give her any money".

"Your husband not giving you any money is not a 911 emergency," the 911 operator told her, according to a recording of the call released by the sheriff.

Nehls said his department was growing frustrated by a rise in unwarranted calls to 911, including a recent one from a young man who called to report that his grandfather was cheating at cards.

"We encourage citizens to use 911 for vehicle crashes, EMS, domestic disturbances, and reporting erratic drivers," Nehls said. "Inappropriate use may lead to a fine in excess of $300."