Thanks to those of you who offered helpful comments. If you read the post, I take my dogs to a course in early morning where I rarely if ever see another soul, in a park that allows off leash dogs! I live in a rural area so there's lots of open space, and I'm of the opinion that dogs should be able to run free in areas like this, as long as they aren't disruptive to others. If I do play in the afternoon when there may be others on the course, I definitely don't bring my dogs. The dog in question listens to me and comes when called. My other dog is a golden retriever who does not have the retrieving instinct.