I see so many dogs out in front on their walks and this is not helpful in my opinion.
Imagine if you have a dog who is fearful of other dogs, you see a dog coming towards you & your dog, as their owner has no control due to the dog or dogs making the decisions. Whether you have adequate space to avoid said oncoming dogs this is still daunting for you & your dog, as your dog will see something heading in their direction OUT OF CONTROL.
Yes out of control is how a fearful dog will likely perceive dogs that walk out in front of their owners whilst connected to a piece of equipment. This is often due to negative experiences by unwanted space invading dogs as their owners shout from a distance ‘It’s ok he/she is friendly’ 
And guess who’s often the owner that’s given a barrage of abuse 
If you said ‘the owner of the fearful dog that tells the space invading dog to GET OUT OF MY SPACE’ then you win first prize (pm me to find out what you have won 
).
The fearful dog & their owner have every right to send an unwanted dog away and if you don’t like it then consider the Dangerous Dogs Act section where it’s stated ‘A dog should not be dangerously out of control in any place’.
I guide my clients on how to help their fearful dogs by protecting them, and positioning themselves and the dogs to take relevant precautions. People often say to me ‘I know you don’t like walking down alleys etc’, I reply saying ‘Dogs don’t like narrow spaces where they feel unsafe, and if something happens to them they will lose trust in you and possibly be hurt in the process’.
