I NEVER let Gracie off leash. When she was a puppy she used to make a habit of rushing the door when ever it opened. She escaped a couple of times and my heart nearly stopped from trying to get her back. She thought it was great fun to run as fast as she could with all of us following us her in hot pursuit. I did not realize how fast such a tiny little dog could run
! After we would catch her I would still be a wreck from the experience. I wish I had a place that she could be off lead so she could run and play but we have no such area around here.
I would not advise letting your dog off lead in an unconfined area. Even the best trained dog can spot a squirrel and be gone in an instant. It's not worth the risk. People hunt in my state and you would not believe the number of trained dogs that are lost every year. Their owners thought that they had them trained to return on command. Not!
I have Gracie micro chipped and she has her ID tags on but I would never take the chance of letting her off lead even for a second. She is one fast little girl. I take her for brisk walks twice a day. I get others to walk her also as I have a bad back injury that keeps me from going as fast as she would enjoy. I try to make up for the fact that she cannot run without freedom by giving her as much exercise as I can. She seems happy enough with that.