Dog summit hosted by Scottish Government
Topics discussed at the summit include dog licensing and microchipping.
A recent summit on responsible dog ownership brought together representatives from Scottish Government, the police and animal welfare and veterinary organisations.
Hosted in Edinburgh last week, the Responsible Dog Ownership Summit was announced last year by first minister Alex Salmond, after he met with the families of dog attack victims.
The meeting covered dog control, licensing, compulsory microchipping and enforcement of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act.
These issues have also been raised in the Government's recent consultation - "Promoting responsible dog ownership in Scotland: microchipping and other measures". The consultation has reportedly received around 2,000 responses so far.
Summit attendees included the Dogs Trust, Scottish SPCA, BVA, Police Scotland, NFU Scotland and members of the Scottish Parliament.
Speaking at the event, representatives from the Kennel Club pledged its commitment to compulsory microchipping in Scotland, in the form of educating the public.
The club also highlighted the importance of a legal requirement to keep information up to date, minimum standards for databases and implanter training.
Kennel Club secretary Caroline Kisko said: "With over 600,000 dogs in Scotland, it is important that all those concerned with them work together to promote responsible ownership.
"We therefore commend the Scottish Government for holding this event to share ideas on how to tackle current issues relating to dog control and new measures that can be introduced to improve matters."
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
