SIR - The tide is high, the moon is full...there’s dog poo on the path, boo hoo, hoo! It stinks, it smells, oh crikey, hells bells!

A nice Christmas and New Year jingle everybody... it wasn’t nice finding a mound of the stuff underneath the snow I was clearing from the lane though! No, despite the season of goodwill to all, there are those who are still intent on spoiling the local environment for everybody!

Yep, unfortunately bad weather doesn’t deter dog owners who don’t clear up after their animals. Most recently I witnessed an incident that surely confirmed the attitude of some of these dog owners who visit local areas, blackguards to a man (or woman), the lot of them!

A near neighbour of mine was walking up the lane with his wife when a medium-sized hound, of unknown origins, covered in mud (having been in the woods), leaped up and accosted his wife splattering her with gunk and goodness knows what else (?)

It was evidently quite a boisterous dog, so why on earth did the owner make no effort to restrain it?

I heard no effort from him to apologise, even though the elderly lady in question was almost bowled over by his dog. If that isn’t sheer contempt, I don’t know what is!

The husband had words with the dog owner, but, even though he was approaching the junction with the main road, he refused to even put it on a lead...so, there you have it...a blatant case of IDOS (Ignorant Dog Owner Syndrome)... when will this dog owner wake up and smell the... ohhh, I give up!

What will it take, a pet mashed in the main road by a passing van? Perhaps, someone going blind after getting dog muck in their eye?

Anyway, to all responsible dog owners, I wish you good luck in 2011... and, to those of you with IDOS, do keep a look out for dog poo bins because they are provided if you can be bothered to walk to one...!

RAD (Residents Against Dog-poo)