A disappointing walk

The tide was in, so I kept to the accepted path along the top of the beach and by the time I had arrived at Felpham, I counted seven piles of dog excrement on the actual path.

Just how much more was lying around the edges of the foreshore is anyone’s guess.

The majority of dog owners are responsible and pick up the mess.

However there are a significant few with dogs off the lead, who cannot possibly know where they are dumping.

Should you catch a dog doing it and point it out to the owner, the response is often, ‘Are you sure it was my dog’, or ‘That’s unlikely, he’s only just done it’.

Such surprise!

The beach is not a dog toilet.

It is a place for us all to walk and enjoy the fresh air and the view.

Unfortunately as today’s experience shows, I have to watch my every step lest I return home treading dog’s shit under foot. And should you find the use of that word offensive, I can assure it’s nothing compared to what I feel as I clean it from my shoes – or deal with a distressed child who has stumbled into it.

John Peachey

Elmer

Bognor Regis