Notices were put up last Wednesday (March 19) around local parks in Sittingbourne, Kent, highlighting the issue of dogs damaging trees to such an extent that they are likely to die.

Swale Council said it is prepared to take legal measures against owners who allow their pets to cause such harm.

Local dog owner Melissa Hood, 49, first spotted the problem last summer and expressed her disbelief at the destructive behaviour: "It's just awful. I cannot get my head around why someone would just think that's okay.

Hood, who owns a three year old Labrador named Wilbur and a 10 year old Pumi cross called Cookie, insists her dogs do not engage in such destructive acts.

"I wouldn't let my dogs do that. Those trees have been there for years."

She values the longevity of the trees and the importance of preserving natural spaces amidst increasing urban development: "Maybe people think I'm mad that it bothers me so much but we're losing a lot of our nature spaces to housing at the moment.

"I feel like we should be protecting these little places that people can still go and be in nature."

She recalled an incident where she saw a man's dog, which seemed to be a German Shepherd mix, aggressively stripping bark from a tree, although she did not realise what was happening immediately due to her distance across the park: "The dog almost ran up the trunk, clawing and pulling all the bark off."

She added: "Me and my other half just stood there and thought, 'what is it doing?'

"It was the following day that we saw the damage.

"Over time it has just got worse and worse.

"Maybe the owner doesn't realise that he could potentially kill the trees, but to me, it's still not normal."

A spokesperson from Swale Council called on all residents to be vigilant against such vandalism.

"Recently we have witnessed a disturbing number of trees in our parks having their bark torn off by dogs," their statement said.

"Sadly, in many cases, the damage being caused is so bad that the affected trees will die."

The council did not mince words regarding repercussions: "We will take legal action against you if you are responsible for a dog and allow or encourage them to cause damage to our park's trees.

"We also ask all park visitors and neighbouring residents who see or hear anything of concern to please contact us and report any incidents."

Underlining the collective responsibility, they concluded: "If we work together, we can protect our important trees in our wonderful parks and green spaces."

The behaviour is often attributed to dogs' natural inclinations, such as chewing, digging, marking territory, or responding to boredom, anxiety, and hunting instincts, especially in the absence of adequate chew toys.