Readers' letters: We need a modern licensing regime for dog ownership

Dog owners should shoulder the full financial burden of keeping their pet, a reader suggests (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

Society’s reaction to tragic incidents involving dangerous dogs inevitably tends not to engage with the wider, albeit less serious impacts of dog ownership. Although only about 30 per cent of UK households own a dog or dogs, these animals produce thousands of tons of putrescible waste, the collection and disposal costs of which are mainly borne by local authorities and thus ultimately by the wider public. That assumes dog owners comply with the law; those who don’t clean up after their animals create a nuisance and a health hazard that is a further cost to local authorities.

The impact is wider than the waste issue. Exercising dogs can render public recreational areas unattractive to the majority, especially to those wary of unknown animals that may or may not be under effective control. If an area becomes popular with dog walking services the issue is amplified. There is also the potential problem of noise, which again may devolve to local authorities.

Surely it’s time for a conversation about the impact of dog ownership and the inequity of the majority, in effect, providing a subsidy? Even the most devoted dog owner should concede that it’s reasonable for them to be expected to bear the entire cost of the animal’s ownership, including waste disposal and other environmental protection measures. This could perhaps be expedited by some form of local licensing and additionally, compulsory public liability insurance might be considered.

Older readers will recollect that there’s nothing novel about regulating of dog ownership. Until 1987 dog licences were mandatory, though of little practical effect. However, a modern licensing regime in tandem with already compulsory chipping could be designed to reduce the unacceptable practical and financial impact on the majority.

R A Wallace, Kincardine, Fife

Arts funding

At a time when all eyes are on Edinburgh with three weeks of intense creativity, it is ironic that Creative Scotland is being starved of funds to support such creativity (Scotsman, August 20).

Creativity is the lifeblood of society, and a long-term investment that is critical to the wellbeing of all civilised societies. As someone who spent his working life as a designer it hurts me to read of the cutbacks in financing the visual and performing arts.

As one of the richer countries in the world this is not only depressing but shameful and should be addressed as a matter of urgency if we are to hold up our heads as a country that cares.

David Gerrard, Edinburgh

Living in the past

Your correspondents Messrs O'Gorman and Gray (Letters, August 20) have once again shared views and opinions based on misplaced nostalgia and selective facts, as well as a refusal to acknowledge that we are in the 21st century.

Mr O’Gorman believes that the presence of an ageing, misfiring submarine fleet, well passed its sell-by date, protects us, but doesn’t say in what circumstances he envisages its use. He also doesn’t mention that the MoD has subcontracted all of the management of its bases to Babcock a nominally “international” company that started out in the US and was coincidentally responsible for Three Mile Island, the worst nuclear power station accidents in US history.

Mr Gray would very much like all of us, including Scots and presumably the Welsh, to sing God Save the King, yet he admits himself to having memories of it being sung in the 1960s! It hasn’t been sung at a Scottish rugby match since 1990, more than three decades ago, or at a Welsh match since the 1970s, more than half a century ago!

Could I recommend that rather than singing “rebellious Scots to crush” the Celtic nations all sing the new unofficial anthem of the Welsh football team, Dafydd Iwan’s Yma yr Hyd – Were Still Here – which includes the line: “In spite of everyone and everything we’re still here.”

Marjorie Thompson, Edinburgh

Same old song

Re Andrew HN Gray’s letter (August 20), I do not resile from my statement about the arrogant assumption that English equals British or that this lack of respect feeds Scottish nationalism.

As a youth I also used to stand for and sing the National Anthem until I discovered the verse that says “Lord grant that Marshal Wade... rebellious Scot to crush”. No more. I agree Flower of Scotland is a bit of a dirge. We should sing Scots Wha Hae instead.

Colin McAllister, St Andrews, Fife

Political drama

As a distraction from the protracted soap opera that is the Scottish Conservative leadership election (John McLellan, August 20) we could do worse than reflect on the continuing drama unfolding on the other side of the Atlantic.

As President Biden has wisely stepped aside as a presidential candidate, surely it is legitimate to ask whether Donald Trump, just three years younger and beginning to show his age, is fit for office. He was described recently as lacking mental acuity.

Among his many rants, he surmised that, if he were elected, this could be the last election. After the horrendous events of January 6, 2020 this should send shivers up and down the spines of us all.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, apart from being a strong electoral team, may be the last hope to save the fragile plant that is American democracy. To elect its first female president, who is a woman of colour, would be a huge step forward to the benefit of us all. We can but hope.

Ian Petrie, Edinburgh

Pork barrel politics

Reports that the Scotland Office, and the new governor general Ian Murray, is to receive £150 million in direct spending funds to bypass Holyrood (Scotsman, 19 August) is a further assault on democracy and devolution by Westminster and an introduction to pork barrel politics. The Scotland Office should have become redundant after devolution but the Tories increased the staffing as part of a propaganda war against the Sottish government of the day.

Also, Labour has shown no inclination to amend the Tory Internal Market Bill, that ran roughshod over Scotland’s Parliament, or make an early introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme which is successfully operated in Ireland and other European countries, but sabotaged in Scotland by Westminster.

Now Labour is politicising the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster, which is supposed to examine how Westminster departments fare in their reserved powers relating to Scotland, by extending its remit to examining Scottish Government decisions at Holyrood.

News that energy bills are set to increase by nine per cent this winter has blown a hole on Labour’s claims that GB Energy will reduce bills, while no action is being taken to tackle the massive profits of energy companies.

Labour is continuing with Tory austerity not least on the many pensioners who, while not qualifying, or too proud to claim, for the revised means-tested winter fuel payment, will struggle with heating bills that are much higher in an energy rich, but much colder, Scotland.

Mary Thomas, Edinburgh

Poor Angus

I am not a supporter of the SNP. However, on the odd occasion I dip into the rhetoric I’ve always thought that Angus Robertson was a sensible voice among the noise.

Now the poor guy is being hounded by his own party for having the temerity to meet Daniela Grudsky, Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK and discuss the current Gaza conflict with regard to the hostages and future areas of possible cooperation including culture and renewables (Scotsman, August 21).

I suggest that most will consider that Angus is punching above his weight and position with such a meeting and within the SNP one would think such a meeting would be applauded as it demonstrates that Scotland’s voice is considered worth hearing in the wider world.

However, within the party hierarchy, a position has been taken that dictates that Israel is the bad guy and that Palestinians are on the good side. This of course totally ignores that the Palestinians who appear to support a proscribed terrorist group named Hamas, invaded Israeli territory, murdered over a thousand Israeli citizens and took hostages, many of whom are still to be released.

Any chance to talk through the hostage taking and trying to understand the current situation and future relationships must be applauded. I have yet to hear of anyone from the SNP reaching out to Hamas to have a similar conversation.

Given that we understand that Hamas is dedicated to the total destruction of Israel it would be interesting to hear from the SNP with regard to that position and future relationships with the Palestinians.

A Lewis, Coylton, South Ayrshire

Pocket change

The new Labour government has not been slow of the mark with its attack on people with too much money.

The winter fuel allowance is the first to go – it will only be given to those on certain benefits.

But hold on – you ain’t seen nothing yet – what about National insurance on the state pension? And the big one – will the state pension be means tested?

The jury is still out on this one as pension rules indicate that a pension cannot be withdrawn once it has been agreed.

Prior to the election, Keir Starmer said that voters wanted change, and they are going to get it – small change.

James Macintyre, Linlithgow, West Lothian

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