Irresponsible Pet Owners

The other day I went to get my nails done up on Robinson Street and as I was coming out I saw this very young couple with a tiny little puppy. The puppy was so cute! But they didn't have him on the leash! They were walking through the busy parking lot and not even paying attention to him. I was so upset because I cannot imagine letting my puppy Bentley walk anywhere without a leash! Bentley is so distracted, If a leaf blows by he starts chasing it.

It really frustrates me to see people have such a flippant attitude when it comes to safety. I asked them if that was their puppy and they told me yes. And I said you really should have him on a leash so he doesn't get run over by a car. But the people just kept walking and didn't even bother to pick the puppy up.
Should I have done anything differently in that situation? What would you have done?
And don't we have leash laws around here?