Prosecutors have paid more than half a million pounds to care for dogs involved in court cases over the past three years.
Dogs seized by the police or other agencies can be made subject to a destruction order by sheriffs.
Legislation dictates where a dog has caused injury to a person, a motion to destroy it must be made by the Crown.
However, this decision is usually made at the end of court proceedings.
In the meantime the animals are held in kennels in case they are needed as evidence for a trial.
In 2019/2020 the fees came to almost £130,000 but by the following year this had risen by neatly 50% to more than £191,000.
The 2021/2022 financial year saw a slight drop to £185,000.
Costs kept to minimum
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) may prioritise cases involving kennelled dogs to reduce costs.
The prosecutors bear the costs from the time they decide to take action until any court case concludes.
It is understood this is also done to minimise the risk to kennel staff.
A spokesperson for COPFS said: “We are mindful of the use of public funds in cases where an animal has been retained and have measures in place to prioritise the preparation of these cases.
“We work closely with Police Scotland, the Scottish SPCA and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure these cases progress as efficiently as possible.”
Kennels tragedy
In December 2021 Angus kennel owner Adam Watts was killed by a dog that had been seized.
The American XL Bully was placed in the Juniper Kennels and Cattery in Auchterhouse in August that year after savaging a woman and two dogs in Dundee.
Father-of-five Mr Watts, 55, was pronounced dead at the scene, leading to floods of tributes from the dog world.
The dog’s owner, Peter Fyfe, pled guilty to being in charge dog which was dangerously out of control on two separate occasions on June 2021.
The dog was destroyed following the death of Mr Watts.
