Dangers of Retractable Leashes
Retractable leashes. They seem great, right? You’re giving your dog freedom to move around and do “dog stuff” when you go for a walk. Retractables seem like a great idea, but they have far more risks than they’re worth. You and your dog could be injured, not to mention any other people or animals around you.
So maybe you’re asking how exactly a dog leash could cause injury or have risks involved. For starters, take a look at a Flexi leash warning label:
www.flexiusa.com
Eye and face injuries, cutting, burning and finger amputation. Yep, this is a real warning label and these can apply to you, your dog and anyone near you when you’re using a retractable. These injuries are listed on the warning label because they happen, and they happen quite frequently.
Take this example: You are walking along with your dog in a park, but suddenly your dog sees a squirrel and bolts after it. You instinctively grab the retractable cord to try to stop your dog from running. What happens next? Well, maybe a cut, burn or finger amputation. What could also happen is your dog pulls the leash right out of your hand. This situation just turned from bad to worse. Now, there’s something “chasing” after your dog, and if they spook, you could have a runaway dog on your hands. Then, any sort of disaster could happen.
Miniature Dachshund on Long Leash by Shutterstock.com
Take a look at the picture above. If your dog is that far away from you, do you have any control over the situation? What if someone dropped something on the ground, like chocolate for instance, you're so far away from your dog that you don't see it and what does your dog do? They eat it of course.
How about this example: You are walking on a sidewalk next to a busy road. Your dog suddenly spooks or chases after something taking them right into the road. Because your dog has 15..20..25 feet of length they end up right in front of speeding car in the blink of an eye.
Or this example: You’re walking with your dog and you let them have the full amount of leash length. You’re on your phone or not paying much attention. Your dog turns a corner before you do because you’re twenty or so feet back. What’s around that corner? Maybe another dog and the two break out into a fight? Maybe a family with young kids and your dog scares them? Maybe nothing is around the corner. The point is, something could be and it’s an accident waiting to happen.
How about one more: You take your dog shopping and go into one of those big pet department stores. You get focused on comparing two types of dog treats and your dog wanders away from you at the full length of the leash. So many times we have personally seen this one. The dog trips people with the cord or gets a little too up close and personal with other dogs or people. Maybe they get tangled in the cord and then you pull them back without realizing they’re tangled. Take one more look at that warning label to know what could happen next.
Some people may say we’re just being worry-warts or alarmists. Some might say that their dog is really well behaved and would never chase or spook. Accidents can and will happen. To us at HCPAP, a dog leash with a warning label is not one any dog owner should be using. Try instead a regular 6 foot leash. There’s plenty of room for your dog to move around and do that “dog stuff,” but you still have enough control over your dog to prevent injuries and potentially fatal accidents from happening.
