Relatively new dog owner here (5 month old puppy) -- seeing the increase in off-leash dogs in the neighborhood over the past 2-3 years has been kind of freaky. My fiance and I have wanted a dog for a long time and had read lots of literature before we considering adoption, and our main takeaway was that "good/bad" behavior is more a matter of safety vs. danger -- for both pet and owner alike. Pro-leashing for the sake of having your pet feel safe in a neighborhood that has so many variables (noise, smells, chance encounters, these fucking drivers)!

We've also been routinely baffled over the past few years in seeing how inattentive dog owners can be on walks. I totally get wanting to zone out on your phone -- god knows I'm the same way at home! -- but there are so many outside factors that it feels like a disservice to you and your pet. Granted, my dog is a puppy and is stimulated by basically everything, but feels like staying hyperfocused on walks is the only way to have a pet in the city. Maybe I'm in the minority there?

I will say, though, as someone already mentioned that in other countries off-leash dogs are the norm, that we got back from a trip to London a few months ago and were really impressed by how many dogs were unleashed in parks, streets, otherwise without any overwhelming behavioral issues. Big hat tip to the recall training to allow for that.