I've avoided comment on this thread because I love dogs.  I have been attacked by a dog who immediately bit me in the groin (he was leashed) and I have been nipped in the rear by a another (who was leashed)  and have been rushed at by many dogs since unleashed and never bite.  I may scream, I may get a huge rush of adrenaline,  but I move on.  If that's the worst of my worries, then I am doing pretty good.  Run happy folks.

way too long, 

I thought it was a good read.

I get my mace in my hand as soon as I see the unleashed dog.  It's amazing how quickly owners will scramble to get their dog under control when you've got mace in your hand.  I have been bitten so many times I won't run trails without it anymore.

 

Another thing?  I tell people I just saw 5 coyote up around the corner.  It's sometimes even true.

Serious?  Wow.  I run with bear spray (way stronger than mace), but it's because there are plenty of grizzlies in & around the trails here.  If I saw you with your mace, I would not assume you were going to spray my dog.  I hope you mean that you only spray dogs that are actively aggressive toward you.

Some people pretend not to see even the biggest signs. Happens in one of the parks in my town, too. Many signs, saying either "No Pets", or "Keep your dog on a leash" (depending which trail you walk), and I see someone with a dog, big or small, without a leash, every time when I'm in that park. Often even two or three dogs.

In my town, it's mostly the students, or "rich housewives" who come with their dogs, unleashed (the dogs, not the owners, or maybe them, too  ).

Yeah, these are not remote trails but have trailheads in town and are very heavily used, and I don't think it's appropriate for people to let their dogs run free there, especially since there IS a legal alternative park, equally convenient and nearly as big, if they absolutely have to have their dogs off-leash.

 

I run with my dog at times when it is unlikely anyone else is out there because she does not stay with me and barks at people.

 

I realize you're trying to minimize encounters, and I appreciate that, but man, I would be terrified (and furious) if I was running along some remote-ish place and a dog with no owner visible came running toward me, barking.

 

I have made some suggestions to the trails association and to the city responsible for signage.  I know there's little I can personally do, and I know that people are just going to take it the wrong way, but I do appreciate the suggestions of framing it as "Do you know there's a leash law on this trail system?" - that makes sense and is less confrontational.  I do think that most people are fairly conscientious about training their dogs to behave well in public - it's just that there are SO MANY DOGS here (sometimes it seems like a kind of a Colorado requirement!) that even a small percentage of a lot equals a significant number.