Bikers and Dogs

One way that I get my exercise is to ride bike. I currently own a DeVinci Road bike, and I'm getting a new cannondale road bike in the next couple of weeks. I put a lot of miles on the local roads around my home town, and one common theme is the number of dogs that are allowed to run loose in the country. Many of the dogs stay in their yards and ignore me, however there are many that don't. What I think the owners fail to recognize is that when they let their dogs roam like they do, they put their lives in danger. On at least 2 occasions in the last year I was riding down the road, and came upon a house that the dog wasn't tied up. When the dog saw me it immediately started to chase me - which I know is instinct. However once the dog focuses on me it fails to notice the cars that may be on the road. On both of the occasions, one dog came close to getting run over by an oncoming car, and the other was clipped but survived. The owners of these dogs put not only their dogs lives at risk, but mine as well.
I don't get it - I'm a dog owner and I realize what dogs do. Are these dog owners looking for a lawsuit. What if a dog was able to catch up to me and forced me off the road and I crashed? Aren't they afraid of a lawsuit? Apparently not. Also, what if a dog darts in front of a car near me, and the car swerves to miss the dog, and it runs off the road, or worse runs into me? Are other bikers having the same issue on a frequent basis? What do other states do? (I'm in NY).

Somehow awareness needs to be brought to the forefront so both the dogs and the road bikers are safe.