Catherine Salmond: Taking the lead in a bid to bring cruelty to heel

LEFT for dead, the dog lies lifeless, burned to a crisp by its owner who set it alight before fleeing the scene. Elsewhere, another dog is found with 13 painful markings to her head – all made by airgun pellets fired by her drunken owner. Somehow she managed to survive.

These are just two cases revealed today by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) as it announced 2009 was the worst year on record for animal cruelty.

The SSPCA's announcement comes after the Evening News revealed attacks by dogs – either on humans or on other animals – had soared in Edinburgh, with at least one violent incident now being reported every week.

So, just what has happened to the bond between humans and dogs?

Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn, from the SSPCA, believes something has changed, with his team of investigators now being called out to more cases of dog abuse than ever before.

He said: "Much of the problem lies with how easy it is to get dogs, particularly powerful breeds. Pretty much anyone can buy, let's say, a Staffordshire bull terrier for 30 and allow it to become a status symbol.

"And there will always be a minority of people who think they can do what they want to their animals.

"Thankfully, the majority are still good to their pets."

He regularly comes across owners who have badly treated or neglected their dogs, many of whom will train them for illegal fights in which they can win money, watching their animals get badly hurt in the process.

While some owners desire a traditional "dangerous" breed for show in public, others are simply clueless as to how any type of dog should be handled and either fail to make an effort to learn, or do not have the concern to do so in the first place.

He said: "If you keep a Border collie in a high-rise flat and only exercise it for 15 minutes a day, it will not be a happy dog.

"Every dog is bred for a purpose and, in this case, they should be out as much as possible, particularly on farms.

"We need the public to help us with people who are not dealing with their animals correctly and while cruelty is still strong, there are a lot of people who are beginning to get fed up with irresponsible owners."

He cites this as a contributing factor to today's alarming figures of abuse – more people are contacting the SSPCA and more cases of neglect are therefore being discovered. But how can animal cruelty be prevented in the first place? And what can be done to prevent attacks by violent dogs?

Although attempts to change the current law are being made in the Scottish Parliament – essentially to slap Asbos on pet owners who fail to control their dogs – there are calls from other animal groups for further measures.

Some believe that while the plans may go some way to sifting out violent dogs in society – along with irresponsible owners – they don't really address the issue of cruelty.

The Duchess of Hamilton, Kay Hamilton, chairwoman of the Scottish Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue charity, believes the answer is pet licensing and cheaper microchipping, meaning all dogs and their owners would be registered with the authorities.

She also thinks stiffer penalties for people found neglecting or abusing dogs are needed.

In recent months, her organisation has dealt with horrifying cases of abuse to Staffies, including a repeated stabbing and the discovery of cocaine in a pet's eyes.

She says these are just two examples in a far greater number compared to last year.

Mrs Hamilton said: "There has to be more regulation regarding who is allowed to have dogs as although all breeds are capable of harming humans, it's often the owners who are doing the damage to them by how they train them.

"If you persistently reward a dog for being aggressive, for example, it will continue to do so.

"Only in some cases can this training ever be reversed."

Under her proposals, abandoned dogs could be traced back to their owners through microchips, and those owners responsible for aggressive dogs could also be discovered by the authorities, potentially leading to more prosecutions.

Despite incidents of cruelty on both sides, however, there is no doubting the fact that, for many people, their dog is still one of their closest and most cared for companions.

A spokeswoman for the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home said: "Dogs are life-changing pets, providing unconditional love to their owners."

While the statistics are a cause for concern, it seems that for as long as the vast majority of society continues to care about the wellbeing of the animals, nothing can break the bond shared between them and humans – even if a small minority of people try to.