WALKING my dog should be a pleasurable pastime, tonight it wasn't.

I hadn't been out the door more than a minute when someone started making growling noises from behind us and then shouted 'If I see that ........ dog again, I'm going to shoot it.' This was a very frightening experience for me, the cause of it unknown. Our dog is always well behaved when out on the street and has never done any harm to anyone.

As responsible dog owners, my husband and I always have a pocket full of poop bags, for the use of cleaning up after our pup. I can only take a guess that because he is still only a pup at seven months and still crouches when he piddles, some people assume he is doing his business and that we are just leaving it. This is not the case at all.

I know how annoying it is to step in dog dirt, my husband and I have both had incidents where we bend down to pick up after our pup only to turn round and step in some left behind by others.

Could I please urge dog owners to be responsible and scoop the poop, it is illegal to let your dog foul the public highways.

The playing field up at Knuzden has poop bins placed appropriately round areas used by dog walkers and is great, but we do need more in the housing areas.

To the council, I ask that you help us. I live in the Shadsworth area and there a few of tiny signs warning of fines for not cleaning up after your dog, but no means to dispose of it if you do. Please can't some poop bins be provided too.

SHADSWORTH DOG OWNER, via email.