diff --git a/event.c b/event.c
index 2e4f64ea..909abe95 100644
--- a/event.c
+++ b/event.c
@@ -526,22 +526,24 @@ event_enable_debug_mode(void)
 #endif
 }
 
-#if 0
 void
 event_disable_debug_mode(void)
 {
+#ifndef EVENT__DISABLE_DEBUG_MODE
 	struct event_debug_entry **ent, *victim;
 
 	EVLOCK_LOCK(event_debug_map_lock_, 0);
 	for (ent = HT_START(event_debug_map, &global_debug_map); ent; ) {
 		victim = *ent;
-		ent = HT_NEXT_RMV(event_debug_map,&global_debug_map, ent);
+		ent = HT_NEXT_RMV(event_debug_map, &global_debug_map, ent);
 		mm_free(victim);
 	}
 	HT_CLEAR(event_debug_map, &global_debug_map);
 	EVLOCK_UNLOCK(event_debug_map_lock_ , 0);
-}
+
+	event_debug_mode_on_  = 0;
 #endif
+}
 
 struct event_base *
 event_base_new_with_config(const struct event_config *cfg)
@@ -3798,6 +3800,7 @@ event_free_globals(void)
 void
 libevent_global_shutdown(void)
 {
+	event_disable_debug_mode();
 	event_free_globals();
 }
 
diff --git a/ht-internal.h b/ht-internal.h
index 8842f4cd..50375bba 100644
--- a/ht-internal.h
+++ b/ht-internal.h
@@ -380,7 +380,6 @@ ht_string_hash_(const char *s)
   {                                                                     \
     if (head->hth_table)                                                \
       freefn(head->hth_table);                                          \
-    head->hth_table_length = 0;                                         \
     name##_HT_INIT(head);                                               \
   }                                                                     \
   /* Debugging helper: return false iff the representation of 'head' is \
diff --git a/test/regress_dns.c b/test/regress_dns.c
index 9f4b7e2e..6d6b4844 100644
--- a/test/regress_dns.c
+++ b/test/regress_dns.c
@@ -1804,9 +1804,15 @@ testleak_setup(const struct testcase_t *testcase)
 	struct testleak_env_t *env;
 
 	allocated_chunks = 0;
+
+	/* Reset allocation counter, to start allocations from the very beginning.
+	 * (this will avoid false-positive negative numbers for allocated_chunks)
+	 */
+	libevent_global_shutdown();
+
 	event_set_mem_functions(cnt_malloc, cnt_realloc, cnt_free);
-	if (!libevent_tests_running_in_debug_mode)
-		event_enable_debug_mode();
+
+	event_enable_debug_mode();
 
 	/* not mm_calloc: we don't want to mess with the count. */
 	env = calloc(1, sizeof(struct testleak_env_t));
@@ -1827,8 +1833,8 @@ testleak_cleanup(const struct testcase_t *testcase, void *env_)
 #ifdef EVENT__DISABLE_DEBUG_MODE
 	tt_int_op(allocated_chunks, ==, 0);
 #else
-	/* FIXME: that's `1' because of event_debug_map_HT_GROW */
-	tt_int_op(allocated_chunks, ==, 1);
+	libevent_global_shutdown();
+	tt_int_op(allocated_chunks, ==, 0);
 #endif
 	ok = 1;
 end: