Has the negative dog press caused your neighbourhood to become dog unfriendly?

You would think people would realize that it is an off lead park. You should get hold of the city, or group that is in charge of the park. Have them put up bigger signs about off lead dogs. Ultimately it is your responsibility to control your dog, but you should be able to let a friendly lab run where he is allowed to. Look to see if there are any dog parks in your city. Then you wouldn't have the off lead/child mixture.