Our state and our county have no "leash laws".
So, you'll often find dogs of all shapes and sizes wandering loose in the street; plus around all neighborhood yards. However, things here are now much better than they used to be when loose dogs would get together to form large, aggressive packs that could be quite dangerous. Now, you usually will only see only one or two dogs running loose at a time. However, many walkers and joggers still carry a stick, "just in case". Admittedly, I've had a few run-ins with "loose dogs" when I've been out in the neighborhood. Fortunately, all of those dogs have been friendly and not dangerous. In the past - when packs of 8 to a dozen loose dogs were commonplace - I never walked in my neighborhood. I drove to a park (with leash restrictions) to exercise instead.
Although the above Chihuahua is now at the Rainbow Bridge, it used to really bother me to see him wandering around loose in the middle of the public road. I suspect he may have got hit by a car because one day he was healthy and wandering around in the street; the next day he was totally gone. I truthfully don't know what happened to him. But his disappearance was sudden.
Currently these days, the neighborhood has - in addition to larger dogs - a Yorkie and a small terrier: both who freely and regularly trot down the middle of the street; with their owners nowhere around. They just run free and go wherever they want. So, when driving within our development, one has to be very careful. Larger dogs are easier to spot, but these extra small ones are particularly at risk of being involved in a life endangering accident.
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