A woman is urging the council to clean up a Perthshire road after her dog reportedly fell ill from eating human faeces.
Dawn McLaren, 51, says her pet Tula ingested human waste that had been left by the side of the A912, between Bridge of Earn and Abernethy, on Wednesday.
The three-year-old Staffy was taken to a vet in Dundee after starting to act strangely.
She was put on an IV drip with staff telling Dawn that Tula had been poisoned by what she had eaten.
Dawn told The Courier: “I took her out for a walk just as it was starting to cool down – about 3.30 or 4pm.
“While we were out there she did eat a bit of the excrement that was there and I had to get her away from it.
“We headed back early because of the heat and when I got in I noticed some weird neurological behaviours.
“She was sort of twitching and struggling to put her paw on her toy, then she started swaying and that’s when I took her to the vet.
“They told me that she must be sick from eating the poo and that whatever is in the poo goes into the dog.
Owner left ‘terrified’ by dog’s ordeal
“She was put on an IV drip all night. She’s home now but her eyes are all glassy and she’s just sleeping all the time.”
Dawn, who suffers from PTSD, claims that the incident has put her under a huge amount of stress.
She said: “I was terrified. Tula is my support dog, I live alone, just me and her and she never leaves my side.
“I couldn’t sleep a wink without her, I was so scared and just worrying all night.
“It triggered my PTSD which was so much worse because I didn’t have her.”
The pet owner is now calling for the council to keep a closer eye on what is being dumped in the area, to ensure other dogs do not fall ill.
Dawn added: “I would like to see the area monitored. Something needs to be done.
“I see it daily – everything’s being dumped there.
“There’s fridges, tyres, drug paraphernalia and obviously the human waste. This is a frequent thing.
“It’s really become a problem.”
Council staff ‘working hard to clear area’
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said: “We are very sorry to hear about the impact of littering on residents in this area.
“Our street sweeping team are working hard on a weekly basis in this area, emptying layby bins, collecting loose litter from the layby areas and removing any significant verge litter.
“This is just one example of where littering impacts on our environment, residents and visitors adversely and we do whatever we can to keep the Perth and Kinross area clean and pleasant.
“Unfortunately, the A912 Baiglie Straight is regularly littered by motorists both in transit and parking in laybys.
“This can take all forms, including what has been described. While inspecting the area this week, we noted some litter while all layby bins were available for use.
“We would encourage people to show consideration for others and the environment by disposing of their waste safely and responsibly.”