Crossbreeds and Staffordshire Bull Terriers are the two dog breeds that Stirling Council’s dog warden has received the most complaints about since 2020, according to new figures.
The statistics, obtained by the Stirling Observer via a Freedom of Information request, show that the dog warden received 12 complaints against crossbreed dogs and a further 10 for Staffordshire Bull Terriers between 2020 and August this year.
They received a further seven complaints about Border Collies, five against XL Bullies, Labrador retrievers and German Shepherds.
Three complaints were received about Staffie crossbreeds and American Bullies. Patterdale terriers and Brittany spaniels each received two complaints over the same period.
The following dog breeds each received a single complaint over the four years – including Dogue de Bordeaux; Saluki; Dachshund; French Bulldog; Doberman; Alaskan Malamute; Bearded Collie; German Wire-Haired Pointer; Poodle Standard; Golden Retriever; Belgian Shepherd Dog Malinois; American Akita; Turkish Kangal Shepherd; Jack Russell Terrier; Cane Corso; and a Hovawart.
Complaints to the dog warden can include offences such as dog fouling, excessive barking and dog welfare.
This year to date, the dog warden has received the lowest number of complaints in the last five years.
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It was 2023 that proved to be a busy year, with 451 complaints received. Of those 451 complaints, 163 were for barking dogs, 255 for dog complaints, five for dog fouling, five for dog fouling notice request and 23 for dog welfare. In 2024, the dog warden had received 194 complaints up to May 31. Of those, 65 was for barking dogs, 107 dog complaints, three for dog fouling, 11 for dog fouling notice request and eight for dog welfare.
If your dog is out of control the local council can give you a Dog Control Notice (DCN). This says what you must do to bring your dog under control.
In Stirling, 217 DCNs have been issued since 2019 – with 2023 seeing the highest number issued, with 41. In 2024, up to August, nine DCNs have been issued.
Between 2022 and 2024, the figures also showed that eight pet owners were issued with more than one DCN.
Three separate dog owners have amassed four DCNs since 2022, one with three DCNs and four others with two.
Earlier this month, we told how the owner of a pair of XL Bully dogs, which savaged a blind spaniel so badly the six-year-old cocker had to be destroyed, was jailed.
The man’s American Bully dogs were unmuzzled and unleashed on a public walkway when the incident occurred in the Braemar Park area of Dunblane in March.
He had been issued with a DCN only four months before, after an incident in which his animals escaped from his garden and seriously injured another dog.