As I wrote about in Deciding to Use a Retractable Leash, I never would have used one with Budly. He would have liked to have more freedom to dash hither and yon, but he was such a wild, bad listening dog I feared nothing but disaster could come of it.
But Murph was different. Walking him on a retractable leash was nice. However, we learned retractables come with their own dangers.
Leash Burns
Our first retractable was the thin string kind. Get a dog racing past you with that line zipping across your bare flesh and you’re going to get one heck of a painful leash burn.
Wayne and I bear the scars to prove it. It’s why we got the tape kind of retractable to try and prevent any more injuries.
Entanglement and Strangulation
Thankfully we’ve avoided any catastrophes on this front, but we’ve had some close calls. Letting dogs playing together on-leash requires deft maneuvering. Especially when any of the leashes involved are of retractable variety.
Not only can they burn humans, they can get twisted around dog legs…or necks. Murph and his friends have all gotten hog-tied by a retractable at one time or another. Sometimes they panic and jerk, causing the leash to pull tighter. Their yelps are proof positive it hurts.
Thankfully we’ve always managed to undo any cords wrapped around necks, but you can imagine how dangerous that could quickly become.
Dogs Sometimes Dart, Retractables Let Them Dart Farther Faster
However, it’s the reeling in issue that frightens me most.
One time we were walking in our old neighborhood. There was a path that paralleled the street, with not much grass separating the two.
Murph spotted a squirrel –-across the street– before I did. He jerked to chase it, which put him smack in the street and directly in front of a speeding car.
Well, our angels were with us big time that day. Somehow my reactions were dead-on and I was able to reel him back before the car clocked him.
Retractable Leash Horror Story
Not even six months later Murph’s best friend Tucker and his mom Karen were walking on that same path. The culprit in Tucker’s case was not a squirrel but a UPS truck.
It zoomed by, he leapt out barking at it, and a car hit him.
It was probably the scariest day of poor Karen’s life. (I know Murph’s near miss was mine.) Tucker was thrown clean out of his collar, but got up and started running home. Thankfully he stayed away from the street and stayed on the lawns to get back.
Luckily he was not severely injured. Bruised, scared, and confused, and later they found out he had a torn ACL, but he lived.
However, this type of thing is something to be VERY vigilant about when you use a retractable leash. You can never really let your guard down. Especially when walking anywhere near cars.