I know why we dog owners are asked to clear up after our pets, it's not much fun but it makes perfect sense. So tell me somebody, what do the owners who throw the bagged mess into the undergrowth think they are achieving?

We bag the poo so that it can be disposed of safely and sensibly and that often means taking it home.

There is nothing wrong with that, we brought it with us (inside our dogs) so we should take it away, it's nobody else's responsibility is it? Dogs' mess in bags is a much greater hazard than on the path, it can't break down normally and the plastic bag will last for tens of years – it is more than just litter – it's thoroughly unpleasant litter and who is supposed to clear it up for us?

Dogs' mess will break down eventually by natural processes if exposed to the elements. It takes much longer than herbivore poo because carnivores are relatively rare in nature so there aren't many agents of decomposition for their waste matter. As a community we keep dogs in much larger numbers than carnivores would normally exist in.

Dogs' mess in a bag is litter, it's unsightly, it's unpleasant and it's anti social – those of you who leave it should be ashamed of yourselves; you get us all a bad name.

G.H. JONES
Georges Lane, Storrington