Warning over dogs

East Renfrewshire council has issued a reminder of the Control of Dogs Act (Scotland) 2010, which places responsibility on local authorities to appoint authorised officers, who can serve a written notice to owners whose pet has, on at least one occasion, been out of control.

It is a criminal offence to fail to comply with Dog Control Notice, and anyone who does so faces a £1,000 fine.

Other steps may be taken by wardens to bring a dog under control, including requiring it to wear a 
muzzle in public, neutering a male dog or ordering both dog and owner to a training course.

If the issue makes it to court, the dog could also be deemed dangerous, and ordered to be put down.

The recent legislation now requires two of the council’s senior community wardens to take on the role of authorised officer, with the power to issue DCNs.

Despite the warning, only two reports of dangerous dogs have been made in East Renfrewshire since the act implementation, and both were dealt with by community wardens and police.

Community safety 
convener Mary Montague commented: “Thankfully to date we have not had a serious problem in this area, but it is important that the council has appropriate arrangements in place to deal with out of control dogs.

“Every owner must take responsibility for his or her dog, especially in public places. That, of course, also means picking up dog poo from our streets and parks.”