Dogsey

Thousands of dogs were lost or abandoned across Scotland during 2014, new figures have revealed.

Scottish councils took in more than 2600 dogs between January and October. More than 1600 dogs were reunited with their owners, over 600 were rehomed and more than 70 were put down.

The figures were obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats under Freedom of Information legislation.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said: "A dog is supposed to be a man's best friend, but too often the old rules don't apply to the modern day.

"That lost or abandoned dogs have been found by local authorities in the past four years is a poor reflection of the attitude of some to loyal friends.

“Whilst many of these are upsetting cases where families lose their pet, there are too many cases where dogs are subjected to brutal treatment.

“Our figures show that of those dogs which aren’t claimed by their owners, one in nine are put down. With 92 recorded offences of cruelty to dogs in the past two years, much more needs to be done to protect dogs and promote responsible dog ownership."

Mr Rennie added: "These sad figures give genuine meaning to the phrase that dogs are for life, not just for Christmas.”