What a lot of dog owners don’t seem to understand/except is that, when a strange dog comes running up and leaps on you, you have to undergo the thought process of “Is my day going to end up in the hospital, or — gods forbid — the morgue?”

The dog owner “knows” (more precisely, “believes,” since there can always be exceptions to behavior) the other dog won’t bite, but the*stranger* doesn’t know that!

That behavior could land the dog in the hospital, the morgue, or the death chamber, especially if they’re large and/or a stigmatized breed—-and even before law enforcement enters the picture, consider the possibility (your userinfo places you in the US) that the stranger is armed and trigger-happy.