One of the things I have learned walking dogs - always on leash - in DC is the utter lack of common sense among the citizens of DC who walk in public, dog owners, runners and pedestrians. Dog owners with dogs off leash feel perfectly free to walk their dogs through your dogs on a narrow path forgetting that a dog on leash is going to see a charging dog off leash as a threat. I am happy to move my dogs out of the way with enough notice to do so - they are my problem. The absolute dumbest [expletives deleted whose mothers taught them not a blessed thing] are runners who think they can just run through a gaggle of dogs a high speed. So far nothing bad has happened, but one of these days one of them is going to do it through an on leash pit bull and is going to get most deservedly mauled for stupidity. Probably play chicken with dump trucks on the paved roads as well. And one of these days one of my dogs is going to catch one of the local resident thugs on a bike who thinks he owns right of way on a narrow trail regardless of who or what is on it.
What’s more, those leashed dogs are correct about the unleashed dogs being a threat.
Here in Central Florida almost everyone obeys leash laws. A small dog is just little snack for an alligator. Alligators can run 35 mph in a straight line.
You made some good points.