I used to think leashes should be optional until I had a dog who was perfect off-leash. I could be anywhere from a wooded path to a crowded sidewalk and that dog would be right beside me, but I only ever took her on hikes or through calm neighborhoods. Plenty of people knew my dog was friendly and would stop to pet her when I was out.

My boyfriend at the time had her just as long as I did, but couldn’t control her off-leash as well as me. He tried anyway. He walked her next to a highway, she got overwhelmed, went chasing someone across the street, through traffic. Both him and the dog almost got fucked up on the highway when he tried to get her under control.

After that I only let her off leash in places where it was safe and allowed because she’s a dog and it just takes one bad moment to get her or someone else killed.

Beyond that personal anecdote, if you look at pet insurance claims statistics there are hell of a lot of accidents and attacks that start with “Dog was off-leash.”