My gentle Saluki/Greyhound cross is always off the lead when we are away from the road, he trots behind me apart from when he has a quick zoomie, in my part of Kernow there are lots of places where dogs Can run without upsetting the minority.
I agree those extending leads should be banned, my old boy recently ended up in the vets after he got tangled up in one and it acted like a cheese cutter….stupid person on the other end said…I couldn’t lock it..must be faulty…