Tain woman banned from owning dogs
A TAIN woman has become the first person in the Highlands to be banned from keeping or owning dogs after she admitted failing to keep two of her pets - a border collie and a Doberman bull terrier cross - under control.
Irene Williamson (52) of Fountain Road, was placed on a “dog asbo” (anti-social behaviour order) in 2011 requiring her to keep her pet Doberman cross Bruno under proper control after it attacked dogs in gardens in Tain .
Bruno avoided being put down but Williamson was made the subject of a dog control notice under the Control of Dogs Act 2010.
Williamson, who claimed two years ago residents lied about the incidents because she was a traveller, was back in Tain Sheriff Court yesterday, for failing to comply with the court order by allowing her collie Tyson to be off the lead in Victoria Road, Tain, on October 3 last year and Bruno to be off a lead in Fountain Road on October 9.
She admitted both offences and depute fiscal Karen Smith told the court Williamson had previous convictions for dog problems in 2011.
Ms Smith said, in another incident, three dogs belonging to Williamson had attacked a pony at Embo in a field.
“The pony sustained serious injuries and required £800 of veterinary treatment and was traumatised.”
The fiscal said Highland Council had received numerous complaints from people, including visitors in Embo, who were repeatedly being chased by the three dogs.
Rory Gowans, solicitor said Williamson was a divorcee and had kept dogs for a number of years and accepted there have been “issues”.
But he said she had taken steps to try and improve the behaviour of the dogs including getting them neutered and having a pen built in her garden.
He said both dogs had also been chipped and the frequency of them getting into trouble had diminished.
Sheriff Gilchrist asked Mr Gowans if it now meant the dogs could be destroyed because Williamson had breached the court order.
Mr Gowans said that option was open to the court but he suggested muzzling would be an additional condition when the dogs are in a public place.
“There is no question of any physical harm to any person and no further incidents have been reported,” he said.
Ms Smith said there had been numerous complaints about the dogs apart from those before the court and the view of Highland Council was they should be assessed and re-homed.
Sheriff Gilchrist told Williamson: “The public are entitled to expect people who keep dogs to keep them under proper control.”
In this case he said Williamson had already been prosecuted and she had now admitted failing to keep the dogs under control on two separate occasions.
He fined her £90 on each charge.
“It’s clear you are not a fit person to be in ownership of dogs and you are disqualified from keeping or owning dogs for a period of twelve months.”
