My littlest is a barker. She's not dangerous or mean in the slightest. If anything, she's extremely delicate when she meets a strange dog, but she can make an awful lot of noise, and while she seems little to me, I can appreciate that objectively speaking, she really isn't... also, as a (probably) Staffie mix, she looks pretty nails. I know she's a softie, but not everyone else knows that!

She does, however, have excellent recall. I'm pretty lucky here: this isn't something I have to reinforce much with her; she's just naturally good at it, and she doesn't like to be too far away from her pack anyway. I like to let her walk off lead, but I know I have to be very mindful of how others see her and how other dogs can react to her. So if I see another dog coming, I call her to me and pop her on lead, no fuss. I keep it quiet and cheerful so she knows she's not in trouble or danger here. It's just a thing we do. Then the other owner can see that she's under control, and if everyone's amenable, the dogs can meet and play. Ultimately it's up to me to keep her safe, and I can't expect everyone to notice the waggy tail and cheerful play bounce over the noise. I have had the rare earful about That Uncontrollable Animal, but such instances are far outweighed by people asking if she's okay to play, or saying thank you for putting her on lead.

So, if you can really concentrate on recall, and make sure you always have an eye on her and out for situations where she might get herself into trouble, you'll be in a position to nip it in the bud before anything happens. Even if it wasn't going to anyway. Bear in mind that it works both ways: you don't know if that other off-lead dog is going to snap at you and yours, and the more control you have over the situation, the better for everyone involved.

Sorry if you felt like you were being given a hard time here. We're just very aware, especially those of us with Those Kinds of Dogs (my other dog is an Akita, and a great softie) of other people's perceptions, legalities, and formalities on all sides. You can't control other people so you have to watch yourself.