Beware of Retractable Leashes!

Category: Pets | Tags:

Date: September 19th, 2012

You see it all the time- on the crowded streets, at events, at farmer’s markets, in your own hallway of your building – the infamous retractable leash!   As if dog owners don’t have enough things to worry about with the safety of their dogs…..

Retractable leashes are those long-cord gadgets with plastic handles that allow the dog to roam 20 to 30 feet from the owner.  I’ve seen and heard about way too many tragedies and near- misses befall dogs (and handlers) of these leashes.  From failure of the equipment, to human failures during use, these leashes are just too risky in my opinion to use on a beloved part of your family!

Unfortunately, most people wait until something awful happens to rid themselves of these leashes.  Don’t be that person!  Be proactive.  Don’t let yourself get into the situation where your dog is 15 feet ahead of you, and has a head start of 3 seconds.  This is when accidents can and will occur.

Not to mention the fact that you are giving your dog full control of the walk, and essentially letting your dog walk you. You are no longer the pack leader in Cesar Milan’s terms.  Might as well just throw all your training out the window!   In addition, you cannot wrap the leash around your wrist for extra security during a walk, because it’s an actual cord that will cut you.

I’v heard countless horror stories from the leash breaking, to the leash snapping back into someone’s eye.  The saddest story I heard, was from a sitter of ours – about 10 to 15 years ago, she was out walking her dog on a retractable leash, when the dog spotted a squirrel and decided to take off after it…the cord on the retractable broke, and the dog darted in the street and got hit by a car, and was paralyzed the rest of his life.

Humans also get hurt from retractable leashes.  In 2007, there were 16,564 hospital-treated injuries associated with leashes, according to Consumer Union’s analysis of statistics collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.  Of those, about 10.5 percent involved children 10 and younger; 23.5 percent involved injuries to the finger.  The CPSC’s data does not parse the leashes into types but it’s likely that the amputations were caused by retractable leashes.

The person holding the leash does not realize that they really do not have control over their dog; even if the leash is “locked”—the cord is in no way going to control the dog.  There are many reports of dogs dashing into the street or running after another animal, and the owner can not react fast enough to reel in their dog or worse—the cord breaks.   There have been many reports of deaths and injuries, to the dog and/or owners, which have resulted from just this issue.

Of course, there is a time and place for everything.  If you are walking your dog in an open area, like a beach or huge park area, or working on recall skills, then maybe a retractable leash is acceptable.  It will allow your dog a little more freedom than a regular 6’ leash. However, they are not safe in an environment with kids, other dogs, other people or distractions where the leash can cause tripping, cutting or other serious injuries.  If you are at a crowded event, please be responsible and use a regular 6’ leash made of nylon, leather, cloth or any other material where you can have complete control of your dog and leave the retractable at home.