The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Fury at beach litter louts as dog left badly injured
● Walker claims problem has become far worse during lockdown
Adog walker is urging lockdown litter louts to clean up their act after a pet cut its paw on broken glass.
Leona Massie was exercising Belgian Shepherd Toyo at Fraserburgh beach on Thursday when the incident happened.
The 18-month-old dog was rushed to the vet after treading on a piece of glass left on the sand.
Miss Massie, 28, who runs Bailey’s Buddies Pet Services, said both she and Toyo’s owners are furious at the litter louts responsible.
“We were out our usual walk when Toyo went up a hill off the path and stood on broken glass pointing upright through the sand on its end,” she said.
“The blood that came from it was horrendous, it was pouring out.
“The vet said the glass had stabbed her in the stomp pad of her foot so the cut is incredibly deep but not very long. A lot of sand came out of it, which is incredibly dirty, so Toyo will need her bandages changed every two days and is on antibiotics.
“Toyo got such a horrible injury and it could just as easily have happened to a child.”
Miss Massie treated Toyo herself before taking her to nearby Buchan Vet, where a £100 bill is expected to grow in the coming weeks.
“She was under my care so I am offering to pay the bills and depending on the costs will have to claim on my insurance,” she added.
“The owners are just angry that it happened to begin with due to littering, but they understand.”
The dog walker believes littering has been worse during lockdown.
“It’s just escalated the problem. I have noticed a big difference the last few months, there’s heaps of big shards sticking up where people have had barbecues.
“People are bad for going to Tesco across the road to buy drink, then just leaving empties on the beach behind them too.”
Miss Massie returned to the beach on Thursday night and filled half a bucket with broken glass, but said she feared “that didn’t even touch the surface”.
Last year East Grampian Coastal Partnership (EGCP) organised 53 beach cleans during which 2,000 volunteers collected 22 tonnes of litter between Fraserburgh and Arbroath. But Covid-19 measures have put paid to organised events.
Crawford Paris, from EGCP, said: “We are encouraging people to do self-led litter picks and we’ll be issuing more guidance on how people should do these safely, in accordance with the government’s route map, in the coming days.
“It’s obviously something that is quite an issue and it’s caused by a minority. The majority appreciate their local beaches so the problem is getting the minority to listen.”