LEash laws are the law

To be off-leash or not to be off-leash.
Stand-by for a very long but informative lecture on leash laws.
Three times this week, I have been approached by off-leash dogs with my on-leash dogs in hand. Every time I had to worry for the safety of my dogs and attempt to control the interaction with a strange animal. Owners stood back and watched or repeatedly attempted to call their dogs off, and left me to deal with these dogs on my own. Its frustrating, it can be frightening, and in every case it wasn't necessary.
Leash laws are rules that municipalities and parks have. These state that all dogs must be on-leash and under control at all times. Bummer, right? No. Leash control is enforced for the safety of all people, animals, and vehicles in the area. An off leash animal is a potential hazard to their environment and themselves, even if they have excellent training. A few reasons dogs can be a risk when off-leash include:
1. Altercations with other dogs. An off-leash dog may be inclined to approach other dogs, whether out of friendliness, curiosity, or aggression. But the other dog is also a variable in the situation. If either dog is fearful, aggressive, in training, under-vaccinated, working, or injured; an interaction with another dog could be dangerous. Unless you know every dog your dog is off-leash with you are taking a huge gamble with their safety. Additionally if a dog fight occurs, the off-leash dogs' owner is legally liable for the damages occurring from that fight.
2. Unwanted interactions with people. Not everyone likes dogs. And some people only like their own dogs. So being approached by a strange dog is unpleasant and can be scary to people. Even if your off-leash dog is friendly some people still won't want them in their space. Some people may reflexively strike at strange dogs that are invading their space. Don't allow your dog to approach people when you don't know what they may do.
3. Involvement with vehicles. Off-leash dogs present a risk when anywhere near vehicles (motorized or non). There are several things that could send your dog running in front of a car or after a bicycle. This is a direct danger to your dog, because they risk being struck, and to the vehicle because many accidents are caused by either hitting or trying not to hit an animal.
4. Damage to flora and fauna. National and provincial parks often have strict leash laws because dogs can easily damage fragile ecosystems by trampling or urinating on endangered plants or harassing/killing resident animals. This damage can sometimes be irreversible. Other areas have animal populations (like livestock and horses) that can become seriously ill from contact with dog waste or become stressed from the harassment of dogs.
"BUT MY DOG IS GREAT OFF-LEASH!" Wonderful! You've put in a lot of time and work with them and you should be proud. But no matter how good your dogs are you should still be a good ambassador for dog owners everywhere and use a leash. It is the law in many places so be sure to know before you go anywhere.
So you want to go off-leash? There are lots of great options for this if you trust your dog and want to have fun off-leash:
1. Load up and go to the country! Quiet country roads can be a great place to burn off some steam with your pooch. As long as you keep them off of other people's property you can have a great time.
2. Public land use areas! We have lots of amazing public back country areas in our area (https://www.alberta.ca/public-land-use-zones.aspx). There are great hiking trails, water bodies, and scenery. Some of these may have leash rules so do some research, but if you like to get out with your dog this can be a great way to go.
3. SniffSpot. This is an application where you can rent out private spaces to exercise your dog in. This can be a great safe way of playing off-leash because you know you won't have people or other animals using it at the same time as you. (Also if you have a private yard you could make a few bucks by renting it out to people.) This could be an awesome option for people with reactive/aggressive dogs or young puppies.
4. Talk to some locals about using private properties to walk your dogs. If you know someone with a lot of land where you might be able to walk a dog, it can't hurt to talk to them about it. As long as you are respectful of people's spaces they are often happy to accommodate you and your pup.
5. Off-leash dog parks. I am NOT a supporter of dog parks in general. I think there are a lot of poorly mannered dogs and people who could negatively impact your dog. Under-vaccinated dogs can get sick there. But with that disclaimer, off-leash dog parks are obviously a legal place to take your dog off-leash, even if you only use them while they're empty. You have lots of space to toss a ball and run your dog out.