This is a slight spin off from my vent thread.. But this is a genuine question cause maybe I am just on a different level..

Personally I love animals, but obviously not to the extent that others do. I always had pets (dogs and cats, and even a goat) when growing up, but we never took them on holidays with us, and were mostly outdoor animals, except the cats indoors at night. They would be walked almost daily, and always on a leash in public places..

But I have found many people take their dogs to parks and let them roam free (I am not talking about the designated dog parks), and today I was at the markets.

So where do you think it is acceptable to take your pets and allow them to go to strangers (even if under control of owner)? I am not going to shoot anyone down, but want to know in case I need to start preparing DD differently when going out.