Plan to make dog walkers have licences

dog-walking companies may have to be licensed after the city council asked Scottish ministers to back the idea.

The business has grown steadily in recent years and city leaders said that – while most firms were well run – there had been reports of out-of-control dogs.

Officials examined the possibility of issuing licences but found the Scottish Government would have to approve it.

Commercial dog walkers, who charge up to £12 an hour to exercise other people’s pets, would face limits over the number of dogs they can care for at any one time.

Some staff take charge of several dogs on a walk – leading to concerns of an increased danger of attacks.

City leaders said they would write to ministers, calling for their support.

Mark Turley, director of the communities department at the council, wrote in a report that there were “no powers available to the council to introduce a licensing regime for commercial dog walking”.

He added he had told officers “to write to the Scottish Government to request that they consult on introducing a licensing regime or similar controls”.