Fears grow as mystery dog walker disappears

CONCERN is growing for a mystery dog walker who may have been lying injured for three days.

Detectives are urgently trying to discover what happened to the unidentified man after his pets were found roaming free.

The alarm was raised by a greenkeeper at Bathgate Golf Club on Tuesday morning who recognised the animals as belonging to a dog walker who regularly used the fairways to exercise his pets.

He contacted police after failing to find the owner.

Only one of the animals, a black, unchipped Labrador-type dog, has been recovered and police are urging members of the public who may recognise it to come forward as officers try to identify its owner.

The other, a ginger collie-cross, has not yet been found but was also spotted running wild still tethered to its lead.

Police dog handlers have since searched the vicinity and conducted house-to-house inquiries but, so far, all efforts to trace the man have proved fruitless. Thorough checks of the town's CCTV network have also drawn a blank.

Leading the inquiry, Temporary Inspector Steven Tidy confirmed no-one matching the man's description had been admitted to hospital or reported missing.

"It is purely out of concern for the owner that we are making these efforts to identify him. The fact the dogs were found with their leads on suggests he may have fallen and been injured," he said.

"In my experience, it's unusual not to have the dogs reported missing or someone reported missing.

"It may just be that someone has lost a dog and not reported it, but it could be something that is much worse than that.

"It's a bit of a mystery. The greenkeeper describes a male who he has seen regularly walking the two dogs over the last six months.

"We just want to make sure the owner is safe and well and has not come to any harm."

The man, thought to be in his late 30s or early 40s, is about 6ft 1in tall and of slim build. He usually wears a black woolly hat and black bomber jacket. Both dogs were wearing brightly-coloured leads.

He usually walks round the perimeter of Bathgate Golf Club every day between 6.30am and 7.30am. CCTV showed the dogs in King Street in Bathgate at 6.15am on Tuesday but there is no sign of the owner.

Anyone with any information should contact 0131-311 3131, or 0800-555 111.