I am a dog lover and had many as pets over the years and I ask the question to irresponsible dog owners: why can’t you clean up after your dog?

This teaser was posed by Mrs Sharon Hawkins in a letter to the Southport Visiter. I’m not a dog downer, but I suspect that the irresponsible behaviour of irresponsible dog owners may reasonably be attributed to their irresponsibility. Any other theories would, however, be welcomed.