More than 100 dogs put to sleep in city since 2012

DANGERS: Still no need for licence, says animal charity

More that 100 dogs have been destroyed by Dundee City Council in the last five years.

A Freedom of Information request revealed 108 dogs have been put down by the local authority since 2012.

A council spokesman said most had been terminated because the dogs had bitten.

“The majority of dogs put to sleep have been signed over by the owners as they have been aggressive and bitten,” he said.

The number of dogs put down peaked in 2013, when 28 were put to sleep.

Fife Council has put down 47 dogs over the same period.

A spokeswoman for the council said they would only euthanise dogs if it was unwell or for the safety of the public.

Angus Council has not put down any dogs and Perth and Kinross Council did not respond.

Despite the statistics, the Scottish SPCA has said there is no need to reintroduce compulsory dog licences.

They were compulsory in the UK until 1987 and owners in Scotland must still ensure their dogs are microchipped.

Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: “Any dog, regardless of its breed, can be aggressive through an owner’s lack of training or through deliberate encouragement of bad behaviour.

“We believe that compulsory licensing for dogs would be yet another tax on responsible dog owners.”

We believe compulsory licensing for dogs would be yet another taxon responsible dog owners. SCOTTISH SPCA