Dogs can be a nuisance in public parks and sports fields

I like dogs, particularly big dogs like Old English Sheepdogs, Airedales and Briards.  But I detest dogs that jump up at strangers, especially when they have muddy paws.  I hate dogs that foul parks, roads and cricket pitches. It is often down to bad owners rather than bad dogs.  Dogs that jump up at people are at best a nuisance and at worst quite dangerous.  Some young children and people with special needs are terrified of dogs. ( I sometimes look after a young woman with special needs who is very afraid of dogs, especially when they jump up at her. It is then very difficult to calm her down.)  It is unacceptable for owners to be allowed to let their dogs roam parks, where they pee, defecate and annoy people out for a peaceful walk.

This morning a young dog jumped up at me and put his muddy paws on my denim shirt.  The ground was wet and muddy, and my shirt was consequently stained.  The owner offered me no apology at all, but thought that it was my fault for emerging from a wooded area, which he said startled the dog.  This was quite untrue as the dog had raced past me in the wood a few moments earlier and knew I was in the wooded area. This dog owner was aggressive and foul mouthed when I complained about the mud on my shirt.

Some people now feel that dogs should be on leads in public places so that they don't urinate and defecate where children play, and also because they pester people by sniffing where they should not and keep jumping up at strangers.

Should dogs be on leads in certain areas?