I have a different take on this. My dog is not vicious, but he is defensive. You were wrong to have your dog off leash. I hate it when unleashed dogs come up to me when I have my dog on leash, my dog will do his darndest if he even *thinks* I am being threatened - he is very, very protective of me.

My dog was abused before I got him, maybe her situation is similar. I chose to take Bandit, and I keep him on leash all the time. The only other alternative was death for him - nobody else wanted him.

If you want to have your dog offleash in public areas, respect the wishes of others who do not want your dog near their's and call your dog back when you see a situation happening- dog fights are not a pretty sight. If your dog is not well-trained to voice commands, he should not be off leash in public.

And you would be at fault and liable since your dog was illegaly offleash.