Yep! Yep! Yep!
That is one of my pet peeves too.
I always carry a little baggy for when
my dogs dump. I even have a neighbor that
told me it is proper to walk the dogs on the
side of the parkway by the street,
so if they pee they should not be peeing on the front lawn. (I'm not that perfect in the pee department)
As for loose dogs this was never a problem
till I got Rocky, who is not particulary fond of strange dogs. He seems to attract every loose dog in the neighborhood.
Before owning Akita's I was guilty of walking my dogs off lead once in awhile in the neighborhood.
(They were well trained off leash.)
Now I know better, even if the dogs are trained off leash. You can never
trust a dog 100%. Anything can happen and it's better to be safe than sorry.
As for suggestions, my neighbor carries a walking stick with him, incase a loose aggressive dog comes by.