I'm under the belief that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners.
But anyway, dogs should not be loose, no matter the breed. A loose dog can be hurt or hurt someone. If you come across a loose dog, I would not recommend running or screaming, remain calm. If you are seriously bothered by the animal, call animal control. If you cannot get animal control, call the police. From my experience, if you stay away from that dog's turf or remain calm, they'll leave you be. I've had experiences with German Shepherds, Labs, Spaniels, Setters, and Dalmatians - all dogs that I did not/do not know - who have run up to me for getting near 'their' yard, with no harm done to me. I will admit that in the case with the Shepherd and the Lab, I was scared - as there were two of them and they were both big dogs - and one of me - and I remained calm.
Loose dogs are not just harmful to themselves and to humans, they are also insanely harmful to most prey species. Growing up, there have been enough loose dogs to associate in loose packs. In these loose packs, they would hunt and kill deer. Unlike wolves, dogs who have been trained for hunting and those who get enough food will not eat the deer, which in my opinion are more of a nuisance to deer hunters than wolves or other predators - as the loose dogs will kill for fun and do not have any knowledge of what they are doing. In fact, when I was growing up, there were enough dog killed deer around that the state park officials and the DNR had piles of white-tail and mule deer bones that would bleach out by the trails, as well as the animals (the dogs) being shot.
People who let their animals (and juvenile children) run wild should not have them. Under the same train of thought, people who cage up their animals (and children) should not have them. Gotta have a balance.
So to avoid an attack from a stranger dog, my tips would be:
1) Learn about canine expressions - try to discern its emotions by what it is doing. If you are simply walking past its home and it barks at you, odds are you are getting too close to its turf (the home, lawn, etc), as you walk away from its turf, it will leave you be.
2) Don't overestimate yourself on your ability to understand them - as dogs who have been trained to attack without cause are very dangerous, and dogs, like people, can be unpredictable. (the only reason people fear pitbulls and like breeds are because people who have a tendency to train dogs for violence/abuse them will gravitate towards those breeds - and not the fault of the breed itself.)
3) Get to know the dogs in your neighborhood under the watch of your parent and the dog's owner (if the person is found to be trustworthy in your parent's opinion, as those who train dogs for violence are not trustworthy). If the dog knows you and trusts you to not be a threat, odds are you will walk away slobbered on (or if they are very happy to see you and not well trained, with a few bruises for being knocked over). Dogs have emotions and they do feel shame, especially when they have hurt one of their own (if the dog knows you, trusts you, and accepts you in its pack, it will likely feel really bad if it hurts you).
4) Do not provoke it, do not run, do not scream, and do not make sudden movements. If the dog has been abused, raising a hand to its head or similar gesture could be taken as a threat (often the case with shelter dogs).
5) Remain calm.
6) If the dog is a complete unknown to your neighborhood (that is not one of your neighbor dogs or a dog you are familiar with) or if you are familiar with a dog that is constantly loose, call animal control or the police. Even if you are familiar with the dog, there are others who are not.
7) When with small children, do not let them run to the dog or any behavior mentioned in 4).
Remain calm.
9) When with a dog and coming across a loose dog or dogs remain calm. Do not let it get near other dogs unless your dog knows the other dog and their past history is positive, and even then be wary. Be the pack leader! When in the same area as a known dog-aggressive dog and far away from Caesar Milan, change your path. Most likely the dog will not range far from its home turf unless the dog is very very neglected and allowed to be feral.
Most domesticated animals familiar with humans do not attack if treated with healthy respect and distance. Those who do attack are usually abused, neglected, or trained for violence, and those are the ones you should ultimately pity.
I love dogs (obviously) but I've had enough experiences with loose animals (since when I was a little kid, almost all of the dogs in town were loose) to acknowledge that you have to be careful.
Cyball - some extra advice - you and/or your parents talk to those owners. If I am right, odds are that there are other people in your neighborhood who are just as equally annoyed, and talk to them. If the owners do not comply and continue to retrieve the dogs, talk to city council/county/ASPCA, etc. Nuisance animals are generally taken care of when reported to those who can do something with repeat offenders. But if the people are as attached to their pets as they seem, I doubt they will do anything to jeopardize their keeping of them. Hope this helps
