On my way up the street, a family was getting in/out of a car, with the family Rottweiler in attendance. I walked past, the dog looked at me suspiciously, but people were around so I went on.
I was not able to get even close to the end of this dead-end canyon-country lane because of at least half a dozen barking dogs of various breeds, including what looked like one pit bull, loose on the street about 100 yards up. I decided to turn around and head back to the main road. I did. I walked back past the place where I saw the rottweiler. It was still there in the street; the family was nowhere to be seen. I walked past the rottweiler, and it growled at me. I felt mentally petrified, but kept walking. I did not at any time look at the dog or acknowledge its presence. I walked on the side of the street farthest from its territory.
Within a few seconds after the dog had growled, I heard rustling in the hills next to the house and saw a pit bull aggressively heading down into the street to my right, as if in pack-behavior response to the growl of the rottweiler. I felt like I was being stalked, as if any minute the two dogs would take me down. They could have; if they had, I would have stood no chance in spite of the fact that there were people around outside visiting each other (it was a sunny Sunday afternoon) who may or may not have owned the dogs; there's no way they could have called them off. My heart lurched around in my chest like a leaping bullfrog on a tether, but I continued walking calmly down the street and away from the dogs. I never looking at them nor acknowledged their presence. I pretended I didn't know they were there. I am convinced that if I had turned and looked at either of them, they would have jumped me.
Now, here's the point. These dogs could easily have killed me right then and there. People who own these creatures are putting ME in danger and infringing on MY freedoms, as they are on YOU and YOURS. I don't know what the solution is -- I really don't even agree with the law that dogs should always be on leashes; our neighbors up the street have a couple of dogs they let run loose (a spaniel and a sweet little mutt) and I'd hate to see them always confined to leashes. As a rule I don't like the old "there oughta be a law" response. But SOMETHING has to be done about Rottweilers and pit bulls because unlike spaniels and little mutts, they are DEADLY and DEADLY UNPREDICTABLE. Either outlaw those dogs, or have crippling fines and JAIL TIME for owners whose dogs are at any time, for any reason, loose on public property.