There are certainly many more out and about now, TiggyW. We used always to have a dog when I was growing up, sometimes two at once, but we never saw many others when we walked them. And we never felt the need to take them absolutely everywhere with us - they could stay at home occasionally! At the seaside last week we were stepping over really unhappy and nervous dogs in busy cafes, bars, on buses, tourist trams and tiny road trains, even on a fishing boat trip, for goodness sake. The only place they weren't was on the beach, where they weren't allowed.
We went to Madeira recently and even though we travelled all over the island we only saw three dogs all week. One being walked on a lead, two sheltering from the heat under a car. It seemed really odd! Especially as we'd read that there's a problem with strays on the island.