PDX Pets on the GO!

A lot of people have retractable leashes these days  and I hate them.  The leashes not the people. I have had dog walking clients with multiple dogs that pull and they use retractable leashes. Why is this? Is it because they look nifty? I understand that retractable leashes have their place (in a garbage can) but walking a dog through your neighborhood is not a good time to use a retractable leash.  Never walk a dog that pulls, has a tendency to bolt or could pose a danger to other people, animals or themselves, with a retractable leash! A retractable leash is not designed for situations where you need to have direct control over your dog and when you’re walking your dog that need could arise at any moment.  You may have to keep your dog away from nasty things on the ground that would make them sick. You may have to keep them away from people on bicycles,  joggers, cars  or mean dogs, cats, children, raccoons, etc.  You need to be able to to control your dog. That is why there are leash laws. If you are at the beach or in a park and you want your dog to run free, but you still want  them leashed so you don’t get a fine or have them take off, retractable leashes may be a safe alternative to letting a dog run loose but they are not good for walking through an urban neighborhood. I have decided to make a list of  the reasons why I hate retractable leashes.  Some of these reasons can be found on the warning label that came with your retractable leash.

• •If  you take a normal leash and wrap it around your hand there is no way it can get away from you.  A retractable leash is easy to drop especially if  the dog (or heaven forbid..dogs) you are walking pull suddenly.  This is even worse if its raining because the plastic becomes slippery or if it is cold and your hands go numb or are encumbered by warm gloves.
• •A normal leash will not break unless it is very old , worn or has been chewed.  The locking mechanisms on retractable leaches jam and give out all the time. I have seen this myself. If you do use a retractable leash please make sure it is strong enough to hold the weight of your dog. This may be one of those situations where you want to spend more money and get a higher quality leash and not have to worry about a cheaper leash giving out when you are in a situation where you desperately need to maintain control of your dog.
• •Since the leash itself stretches there is a chance that if the metal clasp becomes detached from the collar it may snap back a hit you in the face. This usually happens if the clasp on the leash is defective, collar becomes detached due to a sudden pull or if the leash or collar have simply not been properly attatched. There have been numerous cases of people getting bopped in the face that can be found on the internet.  Here is a link to an ABC news article about the end of a shoddy retractable leash flying off and impaling a little girl’s eye: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=7058784&page=1
• •If a normal leash is on the verge of wearing out you can look at it and say “Hey, this leash looks like it is on the verge of wearing out, I better not use it.”  With a retractable leash you would actually need to disassemble the leash and look at the locking mechanism and possibly unroll the entire cord to know there is a problem, otherwise you might not realize until your dog is running ahead of you out into traffic or terrorizing your neighbor’s cat.
• •On the warning labels of most retractable leashes it tells you that there is a risk of being burned if the tiny cord slips through your hand very quickly. This has happened to me. It tells you only to hold the leash by the plastic handle.  If you do this how are you supposed to have control over the dog? From time to time you need to pull your dog away from something quickly.  It is rather awkward to do this with a retractable leash without grabbing the little cord.
• •I just found a link to a Consumer Report article about a woman who permanently lost her index finger due to a retractable leash  http://blogs.consumerreports.org/safety/2009/03/retractable-leashes-pose-problems-for-people-and-their-pets.html Even Consumer Report hates retractable leashes and they have never steered me wrong as far as vacuum cleaners go!
• •In the “Community Pet Section” of the Portland Craig’s List there used to be a lady who called herself the Pet Nanny. She was a pet sitter and dog trainer. She gave helpful advice in her posts. She said that if you drop a retractable leash and your dog starts to run away the sound of the plastic handle banging against the ground behind the dog could scare them and cause them to keep running (presumably until they reach an ocean). I don’t know if this is true but I hate retractable leashes anyway. Kudos to the Pet Nanny. If you are the Pet Nanny or know her then thank yourself or her for me.
• •There is always a the chance that your will accidentally disengage the locking mechanism yourself. If that where to happen some dogs can run the entire length of the leash before you can get the cord locked. There is obviously no chance of this happening with a regular leash.
• •You can become wrapped up in the leash if give your dog to much slack and they encircle you. You could trip and fall injuring yourself or losing control of your dog. You can also receive burns to your calves this way.
• •Retractable leashes must never be used with choke collars, pronged collars or over-the-nose style gentle leaders. If  a dog bolts to the end of the leash they could sustain severe injury. Some retractable leashes run out to 16 ft. If a dog bolts at full speed while wearing one of these collars and is then forced to a sudden stop they could sustain a life threatening neck injury.
• •It is difficult and unsafe to hold something in one hand while holding the retractable leash in the other. I know you sometimes like to talk on your cellphone when your walking your dog. Maybe you like to carry a cup of coffee a ciggarette or even a baby in your free hand when you take Fido out for his walk (he he). Since you cannot wrap the retractable leash around your hand, without suffering loss of circulation or possibly amputation, your dog is not as securely attached to you as they would be if you where using a regular leash.

I hope you have figured out that I do not like retractable leashes. That is why I always have my own sturdy assortment of leashes handy when I am walking dogs for customers. Retractable leashes may be ok for some dogs in some places but I still hate them. And as it says on the Flexi Leash USA  website: ”

“This leash should only be used by responsible people who have read and can follow all of these precautions. Anyone who uses this leash must be able to control the dog and watch the dog closely at all times to keep it from running off or wrapping anyone in the cord/tape/belt. Keep out of reach of small children. Never let anyone play with this leash.”

Thank you for reading this. Please visit my pet sitting and dog walking website PDX Pets on the GO!.  http://www.pdxpetsonthego.com

Written by Charles Sutton