Define irresponsible. Be honest, think of all the people you know who have dogs. Do their dogs stay close them, even off the lead, unless the owners give them express permission to run off and play? If you can't let your dog off the lead without it charging off out of control you can't call yourself a responsible dog-owner. Can they then recall their dogs to their side immediately with a single call (as opposed to repeated and ineffective bouts of shouting)? Do the dogs never run up to people, charge around their legs or jump up at them ("don't worry - he's only being friendly!")? Does the dog never bark incessantly as soon as it thinks there's anyone near the house/the car? Do they always keep the dog restrained in the car? (how "amusing" it is to see all those dogs' heads hanging out of moving cars!) Does the dog always behave itself when other dogs are around? Do they always give the dogs sufficient exercise or are the poor things locked in the house all day on their own?   Do they always, and I mean always, pick up the shit? No corner cutting? Do you think any of these criteria are unreasonable or unattainable?

We know the answer. There are actually very few responsible dog-owners. Of course, no government would even dare to think of toughening up on them. The biggest lie is that it's only a minority of irresponsible owners who let all the rest down. It's a privilege to own a dog. That privilege is all too often exercised without responsibility.