My own anxiety is crippling my reactive dog’s progress

Hi dog owners, I’m looking for some advice and support.

My Great Dane became reactive a few years ago after we were attacked on the street by an out-of-control large breed dog. Since then, I’ve been working really hard on counter-conditioning him around other dogs, and he has made progress. The issue is, I am stunting his progress.

I don’t walk him as much as I should because I’m genuinely scared. There are a lot of dogs in my area that regularly get out of their yards, and there’s also a group of kids (around 10–14 years old) who walk a Rottweiler and a Shar Pei on flexi leashes. Every time I see them, the dogs are completely out of control; I’m talking about the dogs dragging the kids across four lanes of traffic levels of chaos.

I’m terrified of running into them and having the worst happen. If all I had to manage was my own dog’s reaction, I’d be okay. What scares me is irresponsible owners and dogs I can’t control.

I carry citronella deterrent spray, but it doesn’t feel like enough. Unfortunately, I can’t just drive to a quieter location since I don’t drive. I'm currently training him to be comfortable on the train so we can eventually walk in other areas, but we’re not there yet.

Has anyone dealt with this kind of fear? Any advice or coping strategies would be really appreciated. Thank you.