Keeping a dog or any other pet is a huge commitment.

Besides taking care of the animal's general welfare, the owner must also be responsible for training it.

In the case of dogs, it is only reasonable that owners must clean up after them - for instance, pick up their poo when outside.

Dog owners have been leaving behind a trail of dog poo on the street where I live. I have installed a closed-circuit television camera and put up my own sign asking dog owners to pick up after their dogs, but to no avail. One dog owner even turned aggressive when I reminded him of his responsibility.

I have written to the National Environment Agency (NEA) to find out if I can submit evidence of dog owners not picking up after their pets. Although the NEA replied affirmatively and said it could be done via e-mail, I think it is impractical.

I suggest that the NEA develop an online portal for complainants to upload such evidence.

It should do more to educate dog owners to observe the rules and etiquette. Many dog owners do not seem to be aware that there is a $1,000 fine for not picking up after their dogs. That message needs to be made clear.

I suggest that the NEA put up signs and deploy plain-clothes inspectors to book offenders in areas where such offences occur. It is time that the agency got tough with recalcitrant offenders before the situation gets out of control.

Ong Kok Lam