Just a little rant about dogs roaming off leash

I absolutly love my daily walks with my dog. We live in a great area. A new park was recently made with walking trails along the river. On our route, near the end of the walk, there is a great street that is uphill, which is a good workout.

At the bottom of the street, lives a bigger dog, actually, a beautiful Australian Shepard. For the third time, this dog has approached my dog and me barking, while running towards us. I don't know what this dog's character is like, so it's intimidating and scary. I scoop my pup up in my arms every time because of the huge size difference and I have no idea what he is going to do.

What angers me is the owner's lack of responsibility. If you know you have a dog that barks and threatens walkers and other dogs in the neighborhood, why does she continue to let him run off leash? I don't care if it's close to her house, the sidewalks are not her private property. I love this street and the exercise it provides, so it would be sad to give it up. I have thought about talking with her, but I already know how she feels by the fact that she has had to call him all three times he has threatened us. They even had to call him from us when they were in the back yard, leaving him completly unattended out front. Calling the police adds negative feelings, so I don't want to go there.

I just don't understand that in a city where there are leash laws, why does a dog owner feel it's okay to disobey that law? It's in place for a reason, so no one will get hurt, including the dog that is running off leash! I also have these issues with my neighbors on my own street. I know these dogs however, so they don't intimidate me, but they do bark and run up to others that don't live on our street. Instead, we deal with big poo piles on our front lawn!

Thanks for reading my rant.

One shot of that, and the dog won't bother you again. Or you could call Animal Control.

Or you could continue to put up with it. Your choice.