Stray dogs down by 23%

The number of dogs being picked up as strays has fallen by more than a fifth since last year.

The Stray Dog Survey, conducted for the charity Dogs Trust, said the total number of stray dogs in Scotland fell by 23 per cent from 5,889 in 2011 to 4,524 in 2012. It was a greater fall than the UK average, which has seen a 6 per cent drop over the last year to 118,932 and means, on average, that 12 dogs are picked up a day in Scotland.

Dogs Trust said about half of the dogs in its care were abandoned and left to fend for themselves.