Dog control problems in Scotland reach 'record' numbers as livestock attacks more than double

The concern comes after an alarming report showed dog attacks on livestock in Scotland more than doubled in the past year

The ease with which people can buy a dog online without regulation is accelerating the UK’s already serious dog control problem, a pet home charity has warned.

Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine, from Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home (EDCH), said the pet rehoming service was seeing a record number of dogs handed to them with behavioural and socialisation issues on a scale that has not been seen before. Her comments come after an alarming report published this week showed the cost of dog attacks on livestock on Scotland's farms have more than doubled in the space of a year.

Farm animals north of the border worth an estimated £123,000 were severely injured or killed by dogs in 2023.

Livestock worrying is another threat at this time of year for sheep farmers.

The figures were released by rural insurer NFU Mutual. The body’s survey of 1,100 dog owners found more people were letting their dogs off leads in the countryside last year than in 2022, at 68 per cent and 64 per cent respectively. Less than half (49 per cent) said their pet always comes back when called.

Ms Fyffe-Jardine, chief executive of EDCH, which is at capacity with 70 dogs and 30 cats, said owners must and have a responsibility to train their dogs properly on top of providing for them such as giving them a loving home.

Speaking to The Scotsman, she said: “The dog control problem we are facing is down to a combination of issues, but one of those is what we call ‘lockdown puppies’ that were bought in the last two to three years during the pandemic and are now coming through our doors, untrained, in record numbers.

"They’re young dogs that do not have any basic commands or understanding and are terrified of cars, bikes, other people, other dogs. It then makes it really hard for us to find these dogs a new home because someone has to essentially take on a rather large, oversized puppy, which needs a lot of extra work and support.

The cost of dog attacks on livestock has more than doubled in the last year, according to a new report (pic: supplied)

"We are seeing quite a reaction to the Covid era. We are seeing more and more dog-on-dog conflict in communities, but also conflict in the home because they are not being given the right training.”

Ms Fyffe-Jardine said dog control in Scotland was already growing before the pandemic hit, but with the likes of the NFU report, and EDCH’s own research looking at recent hospital admission figures because of dog bites and attacks, it showed the issue was still very much on the rise.

"The problem is for a very long time, it’s been as easy to buy a dog as it is to do your online shopping,” she said. "Buying and selling dogs on sites like Gumtree really diminishes the importance of the animal. It’s not a second-hand tent or a handbag that you’re buying, it’s a living being.

"The lack of regulation means people really aren’t considering the responsibility required such as training and the cost of the vet as they should be.”

Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine is the chief executive of the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home (pic: supplied)

The recent ban on XL bully dogs was “masking a really fundamental problem in our community by saying that one breed is the challenge, which just isn’t the case”, she added.

"Any size, any breed of dog that is not trained can become a dog that is out of control,” she said.

Cammy Wilson, a presenter on BBC’s Landward and who has a farm in Ayrshire, said he was not surprised the cost of dog attacks on livestock had doubled in the past year.

He said from his own experience, he believed the figure reported would be higher in reality as many farmers did not claim on each individual animal that had been injured or killed.

Cammy Wilson, a farmer in Ayrshire, has spoken about how he believes the access to land laws in Scotland need to be revised in order to prevent dog attacks on sheep (pic: Cammy Wilson)

Mr Wilson said: “The cost of dog attacks in the report doubling doesn’t surprise me at all. From my own personal experience over the last year, I’ve had five [times] as many attacks as I would over the last 12 months.

“I’ve had four dead sheep as a result of those attacks and I haven’t claimed for any of those. There are many farmers who don’t claim, so the cost will be a lot higher than is reported."

The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 saw an increase in fines of up to £40,000 or a prison sentence for up to 12 months for owners of dogs that attack or worry livestock as a means of tackling the issue. But Mr Wilson said it had not had enough of an impact on reducing cases.

With lambing starting at this time of year, Mr Wilson said he was working with other farmers to engage MSPs to change the legislation.

"Under the current legislation it is legal to enter a field of livestock with your dog off a lead, which is absolutely insane,” he said.

"It says your dog has to be on the lead or under ‘close control’ – but ‘close control’ is not good enough. You think you’re dog is under close control, but by the time you realise that you’re wrong, it’s too late and the sheep are getting attacked.

"Ultimately it’s not about the cost at the end of the day, it’s the emotional trauma. There’s no other way to describe it when it happens other than trauma.”

The NFU Mutual report revealed farm animals across Britain worth an estimated £2.4 million were severely injured or killed by dogs in 2023, up 30 per cent from the previous year.

It is calling on owners to keep their dogs on a lead when walking in rural areas where livestock are kept, but to let go of the lead if chased by cattle; to be aware that all dogs, regardless of breed, and temperament, can cause the distress, injury and death of farm animals; and to report attacks by dogs to the police or local farmers.