A dog walker felt scared after a heated argument on Ness Islands. It involved dog behavior and resulted in court.
One walker said her dog just played rough, claiming it only mounted the other dog. The other person disagreed strongly, shouting and swearing at her and kicking her dog away.
Alexander Allan, a retired stonemason age 64, admitted to some of his actions in court. His lawyer argued it was unpleasant, not criminal. Allan denied threatening behavior, kicking the dog, or making threats.
Sheriff Robert Frazer found Allan guilty, deciding his actions were criminal. The Sheriff fined Allan £500. He also said it was an isolated incident and that Allan’s anger took over.
The argument occurred on February 16, 2023, before 8 am. The woman said her dog, wearing muzzle straps, was off-lead and jumped in water before mounting Allan’s dog. She said Allan kicked it away and yelled.
She claimed Allan threatened to kill her, which she felt was a huge overreaction. She tried to calm him down, but feared him. The woman took a photo of Allan and then called the police, feeling shaken and scared.
Another walker witnessed parts of the event, hearing Allan shouting and swearing loudly. She said the woman remained calm. This other walker said the dogs weren’t really fighting and that dogs off-lead often get rowdy.
Allan admitted he shouted and swore at the woman, also saying she wasn’t innocent. He claimed her dog pinned his puppy down by the neck. Allan said he flicked the dog, which then tried to bite his other dog’s face.
Allan claimed the woman denied what happened and admitted he wasn’t nice to her. He said she aggravated him by not apologizing for her dog’s actions. He also claimed he never threatened to kill her.