I will also try to keep my comments more tame than they would be if this was a discussion at the pub
If someone enters an off-leash park they should expect and be prepared to meet many dogs of different temperments. This winter I was involved in a shoving match with a jogger who overeacted to my border collie / blue heeler cross running
by him. I don't take kindly to people trying to kick members of my family.
I was fortunate enough to grow up in a farming environment where dogs were a necessary part of the work force and the best playmate and guardian a boy could hope for. I realize not everyone can "read" dogs like myself or others who know them well and are therefore frightened by what they percieve as aggressive behaviour or scary looks. Dogs have an uncanny ability to sense this apprehension and react to it by reinforcing their dominant position awarded to them by the scared individual, and it escalates from there. It's instinct on the dogs part, nothing we can do about it. We can, however, teach our children the proper way to respct and understand these animals we share our homes, parks and cities with. I fear that our increasingly urban society is losing a lot of our natural connection with the same animals we created to help us tame, prosper and enjoy this world.
I wish there was a plausible way to test, evaluate and train prospective dog owners, but where would you start? and what would the limitations be? Therefore the only reasonable solution is integrating all dog breeds into our society with their owners fully responsible for their care and special requirements. If that means some large / dangerous / black and scary dogs need to be muzzled when in public, so be it. I think that's a decent compromise. If a dog jumps a fence and kills a child I think the owner should be held responsible for more than a monetary punishment. If a huge, hideous, rotti / pitbull / doberman / mastiff / mutt is being used as a pillow by a couple children snoozing in their yard while their watchdog keeps an alert eye for intruders, then I think that dog's owner should be commended, not scorned.