I am the dog owner you have chosen to target in your recent letter, and, quite simply, you are wrong.

I am not breaking any laws by taking my medium-sized (not large) friendly, socialised dogs for a run on Les Cheesley Oval daily.

I confirmed this with the Wod-onga Council before taking my dogs there initially, and this was re-confirmed when I contacted the Wodonga Council again on Monday.

As long as you are in control of your dogs around other people and dogs and you are able to call your dogs back, you are able to have them off the leash, including on Les Cheesley Oval.

I am being responsible by keeping my dogs in a fenced area and not running around the streets with them off the leash and uncontrolled.

I have been taking my dogs to this oval (only during the winter months when it is fully fenced) for nearly five years, and I have always been a responsible dog owner by pooper scooping up after them religiously (and other dog owners when they have failed to do so).

I have always respected others if they were on the oval first, and have never gone on the oval with my dogs if anyone else was on there.

Hence the reason I go early in the morning when no one else is around.

If someone is walking their dogs around the perimeter of the oval I keep my dogs away from the fence line and I do put them on a lead when they are on the oval if needed.

I did start to take my dogs to the off-leash dog park at Sumsion Gardens, only to have one of my dogs attacked by another dog.

I would be more than happy to have anyone else and their dogs join us on the oval in the mornings (as long as their dogs were not vicious, were socialised and could also be controlled by responsible dog owners).

I am not the only dog owner who uses that oval regularly to exercise their dogs, so I am at a loss and very annoyed that you have chosen to single me out to have a go at.

I am a responsible dog owner and I do the right thing by walking my dogs every day and taking care of them, as well as taking in foster dogs when needed, and I always respect others.

— BERNIE HEIR,

Wodonga