Why council will vote on banning dogs from all Edinburgh cemeteries

Paul Irvine’s son Xander, aged three, died after being hit by a car on Morningside Road in 2020. The toddler was walking with his mother Victoria when a car mounted the pavement and crashed into a shop front.

The bereaved dad has been calling for the change to cemetery restrictions to be introduced in Edinburgh since 2022 after noticing dogs were destroying items left by mourners and urinating on gravestones.

A ‘no dogs’ policy, with exceptions for assistance dogs, was previously in place across Edinburgh’s 43 burial grounds and lifted during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Irvine has launched a petition calling for a law to be introduced that makes exercising dogs in cemeteries an offence. It is being considered in the Scottish Parliament.

Dogs seen urinating and defecating on graves

“We live opposite where our son is buried and visit his grave at least once a day,” Mr Irvine wrote.

“Whilst visiting my son’s grave, my family have witnessed up to 100 people exercising their dogs daily, with dogs being let off-lead or on long leads, resulting in them urinating and defecating on graves – including that of my own son – and damaging teddies left by the public.

“I have approached dog walkers to explain my issue. Most of the time I have been met with hostility and even threats of violence. We witness some dog walkers driving to the cemetery, obviously from another area, just to exercise their dog.”

The situation has been “adding to his grief”, he said. The cemeteries that would be part of the proposed ban include Dalry, Greyfriars Kirkyard and Warriston.

A separate petition has been lodged with Edinburgh City Council, demanding the authority reinstate its pre-Covid rules, which excluded dogs – except assistance animals and those accompanying mourners – from all 43 of its cemeteries. More than 1,300 people have added their backing.

“As you can imagine, this situation is traumatic for anyone visiting loved ones,” said petition organiser Andy Lees.

“Many councils in Scotland lifted the ban on dogs in cemeteries, churchyards and burial grounds during the Covid pandemic. Around half of the 32 councils have now reintroduced the ban.”

He continued: “We are hoping this petition will raise the profile of the issue, initially convince Edinburgh Council to bring itself into line with the majority of other Scottish councils and eventually lead to a Scotland-wide ban on dogs in cemeteries, churchyards and burial grounds.”

A counter petition, opposing the proposed ban, has also been filed with the city council and has gathered nearly 600 supporters.

Monti Stramka, who started the petition and has been visiting a local burial ground for more than 40 years, said: “I have witnessed very few incidents related to dogs, with occasional dog fouling being the only issue. The proposed ban on dogs in cemeteries seems to be based on reasons that do not reflect the reality of most visitors’ experiences.”

Councillors schedule debate

The issue is due to be discussed at the council's culture and communities committee meeting on August 8.

Councillor Val Walker, committee convener, said: “I’m conscious that this issue is one of concern for many of our residents. Whilst people need to walk their dogs, this must be done in a respectful and controlled way, especially in spaces where others will be remembering friends and loved ones.

“Unfortunately, if dogs cannot be kept under control whilst in cemeteries, we’ll need to look at measures we can take to address this.

“I’d also encourage all dog owners in the city to be conscious of these concerns and potentially consider using our wide network of fantastic parks across the city instead of cemeteries when walking dogs.”