A north-east tourist attraction has banned unleashed dogs from its grounds.
Aden Country Park made the announcement on Thursday night, just hours after councillors agreed to begin investigating whether or not a flat ban across all of its schools and enclosed play parks was viable.
The Mintlaw park, which is supported by the work of volunteers, alerted visitors after discussions with the local authority’s landscape officer.
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In a message posted online, a spokeswoman said the request to dog owners to keep their animals on leads was to protect the other wildlife within the attraction.
“This decision has been made in order to protect the wildlife and to address a number of dog related issues in the park namely dog fouling,” she added.
“The council is not required to provide a fully enclosed area, but you are allowed to exercise your dog under the countryside code.
“We are also looking into ways of making the dog exercise area less muddy and have created a new footpath to allow visitors to walk into the path off the road.
“If anyone would like to volunteer their services at Aden we would be delighted to hear from you.”
A sign has now been installed at the park warning people of the regulation.
The move by the park comes as Aberdeenshire Council looks to fix a policy on the issue of dogs in the region.
Ellon councillor Isobel Davidson asked colleagues on Thursday to begin investigating whether it was suitable to have a ban on dogs entering school grounds and council play parks.
At a meeting of the infrastructure services committee, North Kincardine councillor Ian Mollison also asked officers to consider a similar ban in cemeteries in the area.
The members agreed a report for area committees and further talks will be held after the summer before a final decision is made.
