But it did surprise me there was no application for pet ownership on the site. Also, I wasn't able to pay on-line and was requested to attend in person. This hardly encourages residents to do the right thing and register their animals.

It was our first trip to the Horseshoe Beach for dogs that angered me the most. Not only is it 100 metres long and narrow, but there were about 100 people and at least 40 dogs.

There was no way I could have thrown a ball for fear of hitting other people or starting a fight between the animals to retrieve it.

There was the foul-smelling dog poo in the dunes and no obvious rubbish bins (although I did find one at the entrance to the car park, 75 metres away) and certainly no doggy bags to collect any mess. The entire beach stank of dog poo.

We come from an area that has dedicated off-leash beaches that are clean and beautiful that locals choose to swim at. Apart from dogs being off-leash, most people wouldn't identify the beach being different from any other beach. The beaches are also kilometres in length, rather than metres and it's a rare day to find any doggy do.

Here, no matter where we have walked, there is dog poo. The only place in the world I've ever seen more is Paris, France.

Belinda Irvine, New Lambton

August 7