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I adore dogs, in fact any kind of dog. To me they are all wonderful. They're not only wonderful but they're clean animals. A lot of dogs won't even make a mess in their own gardens and will only do something when they are walked. It's such a pity that they get a bad name from people who quite rightly don't want to see their mess all over the place. The problem isn't with the dogs; it's with the owners. It's laziness on their behalf.

Dogs are only doing what comes naturally, but the owners should be cleaning up after them. Are they so lacking in pride or conscience that they just don't care? You imagine taking one dog out for walks twice a day, and not picking up anything. The streets and parks would be covered in mess if no one cleaned up. We always make sure we do when we take our Jack Russell out because it's the right thing to do.

No-one wants to walk in it, and it's not nice when you've got children with you and they stand in it. I live on the beautiful Isle of Wight. Yes, it is beautiful, but even so, there are still streets, parks and beaches where you inevitably see mess. Dogs are not allowed on certain beaches during the summer months, which we accept, but then what happens? When dogs are allowed on them again, certain dog owners just cannot be bothered to clean up and they'll eventually spoil it for the rest of us dog owners by getting dogs banned all year round.

Just why can't they be bothered? Have they no respect for others? Can they not think for one minute that it isn't very nice and that people do not want to come out of their gate and walk straight into something?

Now I can understand that an exception should be made for disabled people. Sometimes the only time they can take their dogs for a walk is when they go out in their wheel chairs with their dogs on leads and it's wholly understandable that it would be very difficult to pick up anything. I understand that, and I'm sure other people would too.

The problem is though, that there are so many able-bodied people who just don't care. I sometimes walk along the streets where we have some lovely grand Victorian houses and I imagine what it used to be like in those days. I'm sure the streets were a lot cleaner then, also a lot more litter free. Most mornings I walk along the esplanade with my dog and the amount of litter just thrown around is disgusting. Empty fast food wrappers, bottles and sweet wrappers, even bits of food they couldn't be bothered to throw in the near-by bins. Do you think it's the same lazy people who don't pick up after their dogs? I wonder!

One day I was walking my dog and I noticed some dog's mess which obviously hadn't been there for long. I crossed over the road and we had gone a little way up the street when a couple came out of their house to get into their car. The man shouted abuse at me (I won't tell you what he said, but I'm sure you can guess). Now he had a very loud voice and it was very embarrassing to be shouted at like that by a complete stranger who mistakenly thought I had left something there. Even though I went back and explained that it wasn't me, in his obnoxious state, he didn't believe me, even though I showed him the plastic bags I always take out with me. He was just someone who was obviously fed - up with it constantly happening outside his gate. I think it's just a sad reflection on today's society whereby a lot of people just do not have any respect for others or themselves.

Learn more about this author, Stella Coles.
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