Dog owners across the Highlands are being reminded of their responsibilities in a bid to prevent fear to fellow residents and their pets.
Highland Council’s environmental health service officers are working with police Scotland to remind owners it is their responsibility to keep their dogs under control at all times, and prevent alarm to other pets and their owners.
A spokeswoman for the Highland Council said: “We have seen an increase in the level of complaints from people, saying that there is aggressive dogs across the district and people do not have control of them.”
The Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 requires dog owners to ensure that their dogs cannot cause other people to be apprehensive that they that they themselves, or any other person, or animal might be harmed.
Dog owners who fail to take appropriate measures to prevent their dog from being out of control will be served with a control notice, placing a legal requirement on the owner to keep their dog under control.
A council spokeswoman added that a breach of a control notice is likely to result in court action with the possibility of a ban from owning or keeping dogs and a fine.
