AS an animal lover, I am totally appalled by most dog owners.

Have they never heard of "pooper scoopers?" I know it's not nice to pick up dog waste, but that is a responsibility they take when they first decide they want a dog.

I'm sick of having to treat the pavement as an obstacle course. As well as dog dirt being disturbing to look at, it is also not safe - there have been reports of children being made blind by a disease it causes.

I know one woman who won't let her children play outside their own home because of the filth that owners let their dogs leave there. Such people can be fined heavily if they're caught, so is there a telephone number we can ring?

Another thing I find disturbing is the owners who keep their dogs locked outside at night, only for them to begin barking pitifully at the slightest noise.

This sort of treatment of animals, the total lack of hygiene and the lack of respect for others is getting beyond the joke.

K RADLETT, Shorrock Lane, Mill Hill, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.