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A stark warning has been given to dog owners after a “disturbing” number of trees were stripped bare in parks.
Swale council says it will take legal action if the damage continues at Manor Grove, Johnson Road and Johnson House Gardens in Sittingbourne.
Resident Melissa Hood first noticed their odd appearance last summer when she visited Manor Grove.
“It's just awful,” she said. “I cannot get my head around why someone would just think that's okay.
“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.”
The 49-year-old believes at least eight trees dotted around the park look to be affected.
At the time, she also saw a man with a dog that looked to be a German Shepherd mix, who appeared to be stripping the bark off a tree.
“I didn't realise what he was doing at the time because we were over the other side of the park,” Melissa explained.
“The dog almost ran up the trunk, clawing and pulling all the bark off.
“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."
Last Wednesday, several notices around the park were put up by Swale council.
A spokesman for the authority said: “Recently we have witnessed a disturbing number of trees in our parks having their bark torn off by dogs.
“Sadly, in many cases, the damage being caused is so bad that the affected trees will die.
“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.
“If we work together, we can protect our important trees in our wonderful parks and green spaces.”
Melissa, who has lived in Sittingbourne for around 30 years, goes to her local park around two or three times a week.
She has two dogs - a three-year-old Labrador called Wilbur and a 10-year-old Pumi cross called Cookie.
“The mind boggles really why a dog would even want to do that,” she added.
“Maybe the owner doesn't realise that he could potentially kill the trees, but to me, it's still not normal.
“I wouldn't let my dogs do that. Those trees have been there for years.”
Dogs tend to rip off bark on trees due to their natural need to chew, dig, and mark territory, as well as potential boredom or anxiety.
This can happen especially if they are not provided with enough appropriate chew toys.
They may also climb trees when chasing other animals like squirrels, as part of their hunting instincts.
