GIVE a dog a bad name and it tends to stick. Please allow me to defend responsible dog owners from those irresponsible owners as we all tend to get tarred with the same brush.

I am out every day in Philips Park, Whitefield, with my Labrador and always clear up after him and use the waste bins which are regularly emptied by the council.

I obviously meet those not so responsible and never tire of challenging them and giving them a complimentary poo bag.

Each Saturday I and others go to dog training near to the new fire station in Bury and the instructor often does a spot check to make sure we are in possession of dog waste bags.

This week is Crufts week and those of us who believe we are responsible dog owners ought to stand up and challenge other owners more often as it is obviously the owner’s fault and not their dog’s.

We can email the dog warden service at dogwardens@bury.gov.

uk Together we can hound out irresponsibility in the dog owning world David Jones Unsworth Labour Candidate Sunny Bank Bury