Oh please. Dogs get out of yards and houses. There's a difference between letting your dogs run loose, and escape artists who occasionally get out. If there's a nuisance situation, taking the dog to a vet (or calling the police or animal control) is a much better situation. I've taken in stray dogs and located the owner within a day or two, and have talked to some terribly distraught people. There are cases of dog transporters (working for rescues) accidentally letting the dog get loose, and cases of kids letting out the family dog, etc. Shooting on sight is cruel.
Hey, look! There's blind ol. Mr. johnson's seeing eye dog without a leash. Must've slipped out the door after that squirrel again.
Should we catch him for the poor ol' guy?
Nah! Let's blast him, you know the law!
Boom! Boom!
Yeah, you're right, the rest of us should live in terror of huge dogs escaping because some owners don't know how to keep a dog in the yard. If you can't even keep a dog in a yard, then maybe you shouldn't own a larger or more aggressive breed(I'm not worried about dogs under 50 lbs unless in a pack.)
I've had people I know tell of stories of dogs off the leash. Why should I have to run away from a pit bull(as my friend and I both had to do on SEPARATE occasions) because some idiot can't build a bigger fence or do what's needed to properly enter/exit the yard?
Also, you and I both know there's a significant difference between the rare 'escape' and people who don't care if their dogs are roaming the neighborhood.
You say shooting on sight is cruel, well, you've apparently not been chased by a dog with the highest percentage of fatal attacks to its name. You also don't have a mother who is afraid of dogs(bitten when a child) or children that might get mauled and killed by dogs that are 'escape artists(how cute.)