An Edinburgh dog owner has shared concerns over her dog’s safety after reports of a spate of off-lead dog attacks around the city.
Grace, a young dog owner in Corstorphine, and her beloved dog Cecil have resorted to walking and playing on isolated footpaths and poorly maintained green spaces to avoid encounters with off-lead ‘out of control’ dogs.
“There are aggressive off-lead dogs that have bitten on lead dogs in my area and when reported to the dog warden, nothing gets done about it. You will see the same dogs running around a field not under control. It’s a really scary time to be a dog owner,” she said.
Grace is speaking out about the increased risk of off-lead dog attacks after reports of two ‘out of control’ animals savagely attacking a yellow lab in East Craigs.
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“The owners of the lab were unable to get the two dogs to unlatch and they were covered in blood,” she said. "The lab had to be taken to the vet and received stitches for its wounds. There are many other incidents of attacks by other dogs in Edinburgh [as well.]”
Grace and Cecil had their fair share of close encounters with unruly dogs, and the experiences have left Grace feeling anxious and protective of her dog’s safety.
“I’ve had lots of near misses with my dog. Luckily I always have my dog by my side and I am quick to protect him. I have spoken on Facebook with a few dog owners in my area whose dogs have been bitten by off-lead dogs and nothing has been actioned,” she said.
“In terms of the [scale], it’s a massive issue at the moment that is extensively talked about by vets and dog trainers [in the pet community]. There are lots of people trying to raise awareness on social media.”
Grace is a proud member of the UK ‘DogTok’ community, which she describes as ‘TikTok for crazy dog people’, and she said off-lead dog attacks are a daily conversation topic.
“My best friend in Leeds is a vet nurse and deals with dog attacks on a daily basis.
“Lots of professional trainers have seen a shift since lockdown when everyone started getting dogs without proper education on how to handle/train a dog. Backyard breeders were selling dogs to anyone without checking if the owner is educated in the breed or not.
“Bad breeding can also cause genetic issues in dogs which affects behaviour. I think this has led to authorities being overrun and there’s no proper process in place to deal with the sheer amount of out of control dogs.”
The City of Edinburgh Council currently has 28 Street Enforcement Officers authorised to enforce the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act throughout the city.
A Council spokesperson said: “For everyone’s safety it’s the responsibility of dog owners to keep their pets under control and we would encourage anyone to report a pet owner who isn’t managing this to our Street Enforcement Team, who deal with a high volume of complaints and investigate dog control incidents every year. They will investigate and take enforcement action, where appropriate. If anyone is worried that a dog is a danger, this should be reported to the Police.”
The Street Enforcement Officers “have powers under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 to take action against out of control dogs and to enforce measures to improve any such behaviour” and the council has said a dog does not have to attack to be deemed out of control.
“Under the Act, a dog is deemed to be ‘out of control if: It is not being kept under control effectively and consistently (by whatever means); Its behaviour gives rise to alarm, or apprehensiveness on the part of any individual, and the individual’s alarm or apprehensiveness is, in all circumstances, reasonable,” Council guidance stated.
Information from the Council said that both elements must be met to enable officers to issue a “Dog Control Notice” which places restrictions and/or conditions on the dog owner. A failure to comply with the notice will result in a report being submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
The council advised that out of control dogs can be reported by email to: streetenforcement@edinburgh.gov.uk . All dangerous dogs should be reported to Police Scotland on 101.
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