69 Comments:

• I have one of these, and it's been fantastic. And the following link's information IS enclosed in the package when you purchase one: http://www.flexiusa.com/warnings.htm

  By  Anonymous, at 7:29 AM, August 04, 2005  

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• I've been using my Flexi-8 for years and never had a problem with it. It does take some getting used to if one has never used one before. That they are dangerous is absurd...only in the wrong hands.

  By  Joe King, at 9:22 AM, August 04, 2005  

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• I think the leash is great. Although I have tangled myself in the mess when my dogs go around chasing each other, I never suspected any danger of geting my fingers cut-off. Good warning... they also have retractable leashes that are not cbale based but wider ribbon based. One of my neighbors is using it and it seems like it also has better operation as the retracting movement seems more coordinated due to flat surface (as compared to the cable based leash)

  By  sunil, at 1:05 PM, August 04, 2005  

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• I've been using one for a long time without any problems but then I know enough *not* to wrap it around my fingers...anyone with a brain should know enough not to wrap it around their finger and no it's not the company's fault but the people that use it the wrong way.
  Tori

  By  Tori, at 9:04 AM, August 06, 2005  

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• Give me a break! Does anyone accept responsibility for themselves anymore?

  By  jeff_maull@yahoo.com, at 6:21 AM, November 26, 2005  

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• I am the woman from Mass. that experienced the amputation. How the accident happened is NOT how this author described it. I do have a brain and surely would realize that you don't wrap the leash around your finger when a 90 pound dog is on the other end! As the dog bolted, I let go of the plastic handle, the cord can up and whipped me causing a bad burn under my armpit (I was in a bathing suit. As i was falling my right hand came up to pull the cord away from my skin and that's when it somehow got wrapped around my index finger. As I hit the ground, I was dragged by the leash around my finger. After being dragged about 4-5 feet, the leash sliced through my finger. I looked up and there it was in front of me on the ground. It was not my leash but one I borrowed from a woman 10 minutes earlier to restrain my dog. There is something wrong with a product when using it for it's intended use and it takes a limb off. Since my story, more people have contacted me with stories about burns and Two separate ER nurses uttered the word when they saw me..."...it was a retractable dog leash wasn't it..." Use my accident as a warning and don't use these leashes on big dogs!
  
  From the accident victim "with a brain"

  By  heather, at 6:58 AM, December 27, 2005  

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• Me and my fiance just got one of these for our 30lb dog, but he is really big and strong. It is not always the persons fault. I was walking him on it thismorning holding the lock position in place than a golf cart from my apt drove by us through the grass. As my dog julted to take off after it. I lost control of the lock it came out of place the leash extended far out and he was about to get hit by the golf cart . So I grabbed the leash part of it and pulled hard trying to prevent him from getting hit. It ended up causing a severe burn on my hand with severe pain and blisters. I knew not to grab it I just didnt want him to get hit. I just dont recommend it on big or strong dogs. It pulls way to far out and when a dog jults you from that far you lose control. And he was in a grassed yard when this happened.

  By  Anonymous, at 12:18 PM, January 13, 2006  

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• I feel very sorry about the woman. I did not know it is a very dangeous leash until my husband injured his eyes 2 weeks ago while walking our boxer at night. The leash just went off from the color, the hook popped and hit my husband's eye directly. The leash and the color are still in perfect condition. However, his retina is serious injured and we don't know if his retina will be able to recover from this accident. He is disabled now.
  It is a dangeous product, according to Flexi warnning, to avoid eye injury, my husband need to turn his face away immediately. However, the incident only takes second and it happen at night, there is no way he can react.
  We have switched to a regular leash, an we would like to remind everyone be careful about this leash.

  By  daphne, at 11:14 AM, January 17, 2006  

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• i was just walking my dog right now and she is a miniature dachshund about 10 lbs. But, she gets really crazy when she sees another dog and i lost control of her. I had mail in one hand and i couldn't get her over to me so i pulled the cord but before i could pull her over to me she ran up and the cord extended and it severely burned my hand.

  By  Sonia, at 11:21 AM, January 28, 2006  

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• In regard to Daphne's comment, it is terrible that that happened to your husband, I just bought a Flexi leash today and read your story, then later when reading the instructions, it says you are supposed to use the separate collar-like thing that goes around your dog's neck and hooks up to the leash in addition to the original collar "so that it doesn't come loose and hit you in the eye" So I guess others have had this happen too. Which is awful.

  By  Anonymous, at 2:19 PM, January 29, 2006  

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• I have a daughter who at the age of 13 (she is 20 now) was out walking our 50 pound dog with a 125 pound retractable leash and the metal clip snapped and broke causing the remaining metal to retract (it was at full extension) to hit her in the eye which resulted in her blindness. A tragic accident. I loved the concept though and thought perhaps it was a fluke accident. I encouraged her to purchase another one for the 25 pound dog we have and after a week the same thing happened but luckily she ducked and it didn't hit her at all. Needless to say, we no longer can endorse this product.

  By  Anonymous, at 1:48 PM, February 10, 2006  

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• I would like to know more about your daughter's story. My husband's left eye is almost blind. I talked to a product safty engineer, he claims the metal clip is so strong, it will never break.
  Please share your story with me if your metal clip ever snapped or popped.
  
  My email address is daphne@docnrep.com
  
  Thank you!!

  By  daphne, at 10:26 AM, May 11, 2006  

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• The woman was, is, and undoubtedly shall remain an idiot. If I had been the judge, I would have kicked her out of my court...guess a person has to know his/her limitations.Don't anyone take responsibility for your mistakes, not when idiot juries award idiot people for refusing to follow written directions.
  No, I am not a people person.

  By  Anonymous, at 5:40 PM, July 16, 2006  

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• Those people who blame it on ignorance of use are wrong. No one would ever intentionally want their finger(s) amputated or other injuries caused by Flexi retractable leashes. I used the Compact 4 for five months and would never recommend one to anyone. My dog was tangled up. I bent down to untangle her legs, holding the handle and my dog's paw with the other hand. I NEVER touched the cord. The last time unwrapped around, my dog jumped away happily, now being free. I stood up, a few feet from her, and shockingly a loop left in the cord caught my finger in the air propelling it 4 ft. in front of me! It happened in a second. No way to be aware of this to avoid the injury.Two long surgeries and a year later, I can type now but still injured. They ARE dangerous! The only way to change these leashes are to contact the CPSC.gov about injuries in hopes they will be taken off the market or made safer so other innocent people will not be injured due to a leash.

  By  Anonymous, at 7:38 AM, July 28, 2006  

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• If it didn't happen to you, you may think they are idiots. Wait till it does unexpectantly happen to you or a loved one. Then you will understand, instead of acting so immature and naive by your comments.

  By  Anonymous, at 7:47 AM, July 28, 2006  

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• It's easy to make horrible, negative, naive comments about someone injured by the Flexi leashes when it hasn't happened to you- yet! I am still recuperating and hope it never happens to you or a loved one. The Compact 4 is not a ribbon cord. It is sharp as machetes and chops like one even when NOT touching the cord.

  By  Anonymous, at 7:56 AM, July 28, 2006  

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• The back of my thighs look like a scarred manatee because of an ASPEN-PET retractable leash that doesnt have a ribbon, but rather a thin dark cord that you cant see at night and will tear into you skin if your dog happens to run behind you.

  By  mish, at 5:12 PM, August 08, 2006  

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• Retractable leashes are very dangerous. I just had two dogs run up to mine both wearing retractable leashes. They ran around me and I now have a severe rope burn on both my ankles. It happened in an instant and I'm lucky because it could have been worse. My dog is staying on a six foot traditional leash and I keep far way from retractable leased dogs!

  By  Anonymous, at 7:51 PM, August 13, 2006  

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• I have been a bit upseet about a small scar on my finger caused by a flexish leash used by another dog owner.
  
  Or maybe should I be thinkg I was so fortuante that my finger didn't get cut off?
  
  I was not using a felxi and I don't own one. I have been aware of the danger associated with them so more careful than other dog owners around them.
  
  At the park I really try hard to avoid them.
  But on one incidence , stranger's dog on a retracable leash came and attacked my dog.
  
  I just tryuied to separated them.
  Boom, that leash was in contact with my finger.
  
  So how can I be blamed for using not properly? when I was not even using one. Maybe for letting my dog closer enough to a dog on a flexi lease, and the leash was longer than I expected.
  
  I live in a big city, when we go to park, often there isn't that much of space from each other.
  
  I know a couple of people who have big scars on their legs. one individul still has very visible scars after 7 years on both of her legs.
  
  And They were not using a flexi.
  
  Other dogs on a flexi ran after them and ther legs got wrapped around by the flexi cord.
  
  In these cases includijng my case, nothing happend to people who were using a flexi.
  
  And they think nothing of it.
  
  If you have experienced a flexi leash burn, you would Know what I am talking about.
  
  The moment it happens, it doesn't look too bad, no blood involved. So the dog owner says sorry and and walks away. After hours, or the next day the burning sensation starts, and the scar gets worse.
  
  
  These happened to people who were NOT using a flexi leash.
  
  The dog owner for my case didn't even notice that something actually happend, she walked away even without saying sorry.
  
  It happens so quick. The dog owner may still beleive that there is nothing wrong with a flexi.

  By  Anonymous, at 7:24 PM, September 08, 2006  

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• At ome time I thought the leashes were a good idea or I would not have bought one. But that all changed this saturday when my children were walking our dog and the leash snapped at the seam where they flip it over and glue it. Our dog ran in the street and was hit and killed. A 1 yr old fun loving Cocker Spaniel.It may be a freak accident or the adhesive they use to bond it may have weakened the integrity of the strap. Regardless I am heart broken and grieving for my puppy back. There is no way to remove the sight from my children's minds. Think about it before buying a retractable.

  By  Anonymous, at 6:33 PM, December 05, 2006  

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• Im extremely tired of hearing people defend these leashes.
  My daughter was 2 1/2, when a wolf/shpard mix, on a retractable leash, came out of nowhere as she played in my Mothers yard..the cord wrapped around her neck and severed through to her esophagus.
  She's 12 now, and still has the scar.
  
  They're simply not safe.

  By  Anonymous, at 8:46 PM, December 05, 2006  

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• I use Flexi's with my 2 dogs. Has anyone ever considered training their dogs on how to walk on a leash? Maybe an actual obedience class? Any leash is dangerous if your dog will pull hard on it...for you and your dog! TRY TRAINING YOUR DOGS.

  By  Anonymous, at 7:26 AM, January 07, 2007  

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• The retractable leash is a dangerous product, but most accidents are the owner's faults. Yes, they can poke an eye out, and a dog can be hit by a car while on one of these, but burns and other things taht go wrong tend to be the owner's responsibility. Think of it this way, if they don't retract the leash while the dog is running over to someone, that person will probably get burned by the thin nylon cord. Besides, with your dog so far ahead of you, another dog could come around the corner and start a fight. It is also our instinct to grab the cord in an emergency. We kind of panic, and we can't help it. Take a look at the warnings printed on the side of one of these leashes. Would you really want to use a product that had so many warnings?You would probably be better off using a regular leash, as it would save everyone from injury and even heartache.

  By  Anonymous, at 11:00 AM, January 07, 2007  

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• I have witnessed the many downsides of the retractable leash and I would not recommend them for walking or training dogs. They only encourage the dog to walk/run/bolt the length of the lead and out of the owners control. A LOT of people who use them have not sufficiently trained their dogs to be considered under control let alone understand the mechanics of using the leash. My neighbor's ill-behaved Jack Russell Terrier lunged with fangs bared towards my fiance while he was taking our Golden Retriever out for his afternoon walk/exercise session; the owner could not retract the leash easily. The only way she could gain control of her dog was to throw the leash over her shoulder and drag the dog inside. The reaction time to engage the leash is often delayed and the damage done before the owner realizes what's happening. More often than not, the dogs on the retractable leashes are walking their owners and not the other way around. I've also witnessed how easy it is for a dog on a retractable leash to get wrapped around trees, telephone poles, or even people. I would not recommend them under any circumstances.

  By  Anonymous, at 11:43 AM, January 10, 2007  

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• Whomever is calling others "idiots" for having injuries resulting in use of the retractable dog leash is being rather cocky in their judgment. Accidents are called what they are for a reason...they are not by fault nor do they result necessarily because of a lack of intelligence. All that has to happen with one of the thin leashes is, your hand slips for some reason or another from the grip and you are somehow caught by the string. You will get some sort of burn, minor or major. Or if you are walking beside someone with one of these leashes while wearing a skirt or shorts and the dog somehow bolts in one direction, the string might wrap around your leg leaving a burn.
  
  What about a dog with thin legs like an Italian Greyhound? If the leash wraps too tightly around their legs and they panic, amputation could occur.
  
  It's going to happen sometimes and just because you and your particular dog do well with it, it doesn't mean their aren't possible dangers.
  
  Don't tell me no one here has ever fallen on the stairs, tripped on the pavement, or had a paper cut. Probably not, cuz that would just be stupid, right?

  By  Anonymous, at 6:14 PM, January 10, 2007  

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• I'd agree that these leashes are best reserved for calm, well behaved, smaller dogs.
  
  I saw a lady with a very aggressive poodle (the small type) come close to losing her eye with one of these leashes. Her dog ran to attack mine and pulled the leash out to its maximum extent. The leash came off the dog's collar and the mechanism whipped the leash back.
  
  The clip at the end of the leash hit her on top of her cheek and took a big chunk out of her face. If it had hit her eye she might have lost her eye.
  
  When your dog is trained to walk on a normal leash then you MIGHT want to consider a retractable leash to let the dog roam while staying within the law, but do not depend on this kind of leash to actually restrain or control a dog.

  By  hugh, at 6:05 AM, January 12, 2007  

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• I have 2 permanent long scars on my legs because of these leashes. A woman with her dog came running over to see my dog. Her dog started to run around my leg and the leash started to pull and burn my skin (I had shorts on). I yelled at the women to let go of the leash but she would not. She was more concerned about the dog then the blood that begin pouring out of my leg.
  
  I am sure she felt until then that these leashes were the best she ever had as well. How many people read the warnings - I can't control what others do but obviously I was an innocent party in this. The comment about anyone with a brain should know enough... well I had no choice it was not my leash nor my dog. I can't change what happend but I do have to live with the ugly scars every day. These things should be outlawed! Imagine if I was a child and it wrapped around my neck. It is going to happen and then it will be too late.
  
  Kathy

  By  Anonymous, at 7:29 PM, January 30, 2007  

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• Just passing through....
  
  I came here because I've been thinking about getting a 25 foot leash to TRAIN my dog to retrieve.
  In my opinion...the first mistake is using a retractable leash in public places. These leashes should be used for training, and if you absolutely have to use one in public, the dog dog should be short-leashed. If people kept their dogs close to their sides, these accidents would never have happened.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:26 AM, February 10, 2007  

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• Anyone ever heard of the Slidewalker, it's a handle that attaches to the cord,so, if you need to use both hands you can with out touching the cord.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:06 AM, February 23, 2007  

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• Duh! Don't wrap the cord around your finger.
  
  We have 2 of them; they are great.

  By  Anonymous, at 11:26 AM, March 04, 2007  

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• I think the leashes are great, but since reading the comments I will try to be more careful. Thanks for all of the stories.

  By  Anonymous, at 4:58 PM, March 21, 2007  

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• I always liked the retractable leash until today. We used one for 12 years with our border collie mix. Earlier today, though, our very strong border collie mix puppy and I went outside, she dashed after a cat and the leash snapped and broke. I was left with the handle and she ran off. I was terrified. Luckily, nothing happened to her. I got her back before she got to the road. It was awful and I was shaking for a very long time after that. I'll never buy one again. I'm so sorry to hear about the family who lost their dog. My condolences.

  By  Anonymous, at 4:48 PM, April 03, 2007  

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• These leashes are horrible. I own 2 Boxers and would never think of using these leashes. Boxers are VERY strong, so I couldn't see how anyone could think they could easily control a large dog like that with a retractable leash. I walk both my dogs at the same time ( i know my choice ) we continually come in contact with this little white thing on one of these leashes and the woman lets this dog have about 10 foot of the leash. Now my dogs are very friendly and love to play with all dogs, but can you imagine 2 very excited boxers, one little dog and only one adult actively trying to untangle the for of us while this woman stands there and smiles. Last time we came in contact I told her that she shoudl just probably keep going because my oldest Boxer may just bite her dog (VERY far from the truth, but I had to do something ) she was just endangering all of us! I truly feel sorry for the poeple who get injured....it is not their fault at all! I am just annoyed with those people who are not considerate of others.

  By  Anonymous, at 3:48 PM, April 25, 2007  

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• Retractable dog leashes...dangerous?...what? So maybe it was ok to sue the fast food joint for the customer getting "burned" by hot coffee. Maybe they should have went somewhere else and had an iced coffee. Maybe people should better learn how to care for and manage their pets. Generally speaking a pet's mannerisms and behavior issues can be linked to their pack-leader-or in this case should I say, "lack of"...

  By  Anonymous, at 11:37 AM, April 29, 2007  

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• I just got burnt by one of these, and it wasn't my fault. I will definately never use them. it hurts very badly.

  By  Anonymous, at 8:56 AM, June 17, 2007  

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• i have a beagle and she is about 30 lbs. and i was taking her for a walk around my apartment complex and she saw a person and viscously progressed towards them and i di not have time to grab the handle so i accidently grabbed the cord trying to el her in of sort,and the cord rapped around my wrist while she was tugging leaving extremely severe burns on my wrist,this was about 20 minuites ago,and i wanted to research the flexi leash and foud this,so i figured i share my story.
  
  matt.

  By  MattNj, at 2:41 PM, June 18, 2007  

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• True story: I was walking with my 5-yr-old nephew on Father's Day. He was holding the leash when the poodle (small dog) spotted a stray cat and ran after it. The boy lost the leash and it sprung at me. It hit my left middle-finger and fractured it. it's a spiral fracture that rotated my finger. My surgery is soon, I hope. I will have it pinned.
  
  The short of it is that thhis leash is dangerous. It is a very hard projectile. i didn't wrap it around my finger. Although another nephew did geta bleeding rope burn when anothwr rwtractable leash wrapped around his legs.

  By  Anonymous, at 6:56 PM, June 19, 2007  

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• I have a chihuahua. No problem. These leashes should be used on tiny doggies only. Use your heads, people!

  By  danny, at 9:46 AM, June 23, 2007  

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• These leashes are great once you've trained your dog not to pull, using a regular leash. If your dog is a constant puller, even the heavy duty models are tiresome to use and inefficient.
  
  However, if you take the time to work your dog past his tendency to pull, retractable leashes make the evening walk more enjoyable for you both. If he does take off, use the thumb brake before he runs the cord all the way out, it will greatly extend the life of the spring.

  By  Scruff's Buddy, at 7:33 PM, July 10, 2007  

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• Just today one of those Retractable dog leashes cut me on the leg because my dog started running all over the place and the leash was tangled around my leg so it left one huge scar on my left leg and one big and little one on my right that hurt really bad when it happened and I am never using that leash again

  By  Ashley, at 10:54 PM, July 22, 2007  

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• I hate Flexi's with every fiber of my being. I have been blessed enough not to have ever been severely injured by one (I did get burn blisters when I was 15 when I rescued a shepherd who's flexi gotten tangled in the woods and bolted when I was in the middle of trying to untangle it).
  
  My main issue is the false sense of security that people have with their dogs, when they're on a flexi, and so they totally don't pay attention to them. I've had dogs at Petsmart and Petco attack my dogs, and their oblivious owners are in a totally different aisle! Plus, as previously mentioned, you have almost no control over your dog if it's 10+ feet away. You can't tell what they're getting into, what's around the corner, it's dangerous for your dog, and anyone who happens to be in the vicinity.

  By  Cole, at 10:18 AM, August 02, 2007  

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• My wife also had her finger amputated by one of these retractable leashes(not a Flexi) about a year and a half ago. There wasn't a warning to be found on the package. She never had the leash wrapped around her finger. In fact the finger she lost wasn't on the hand that was holding the leash. When our dog bolted after another dog she thought was attacking her, the leash somehow got wrapped around my wife's finger and sent it flying through the air.To this day she still can't understand how it happened, it happened so fast! These leashes are dangerous. Why do you think companies are now manufacturing ribbon type retractable leashes? Could it be that the claim that the strong cord leash is dangerous has merit?

  By  Anonymous, at 5:54 AM, August 17, 2007  

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• I have two deep red slashes on the backs of my knees which sting and burn and were caused by a retractable leash curling around my legs. I was walking with my friend who has two dogs on these leashes and she had let the leashes expand. The dogs saw another dog coming and suddenly lunged, entangling me in a leash that curved around both my legs. I felt like someone had burned me with fire, and there was no way I could have prevented this from happening.
  When I first used one of the retractable leashes, I tried to grab the thin line when my dog pulled, but the leash is like a sharp wire. That time I had a red line across my palm.
  I really think these are the most poorly designed, dangerous products sold for pets, and I am going to post photos of the burns on the Doodle Discussion Forum.

  By  tiger, at 1:53 PM, August 20, 2007  

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• Well, i always knew these damn death cords were dangerous and have tried to be careful with my dog around people who use them but yesterday my dog got injured.
  
  I was at the ball park with my greyhound and friend with his retriever for an evening play off-leash when she got clothes lined by the extended cord of a another dogs retractable as she ran by.
  
  She suffered a shallow abrasion cut that still took 3 hours to stop bleeding, her leg swelled to 1-1/2 times it's normal size and she is so bruised she can barely walk. The sun was starting to set and i don't think she could see the thin black cord.
  
  The owner almost broke his fingers when the housing got jerked from his hand and I'm amazed his 15lb dog still has it's head attached. He was not walking his dog he was letting his dog play while corded - not a good idea.

  By  Slimey, at 10:10 AM, September 01, 2007  

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• If you rap the rope of a life perserver around you before you throw it, it will surely drag your butt into the water. Like anything, read the instructions. You are not suppose to wrap it around your finger. This is not the manufacturer's fault that she failed to use common sense. The end result is very unfortunate, but a lawsuit is ridiculous.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:08 PM, October 01, 2007  

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• I recall the time I grabbed a knife by the blade instead of the handle.
  
  Apparently this is not how it's supposed to be picked up.
  
  The leash is good. Wrapping it around a little finger while walking a big dog isn't, however.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:48 AM, October 02, 2007  

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• It is amazing to me that there are people out there who still believe that every person who has been injured or had their finger amputated by these leashes must have been walking the dog with the leash wrapped around their finger. Contact the Consumer Product Safety Commision. Get the list of people who have been injured by these leashes. Then tell me they all had the leash wrapped around their finger.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:54 AM, October 03, 2007  

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• walking my son home from school, a neighbors dog ran around my ankles and then bolted to chase some other children. It was just a pug, but I have deep lacerations around the back and sides of both of my ankles. It hurts SO bad! These leashes should NEVER be used when walking a dog around other people. If you want to use a bladelike cord on your own, fine....but don't endanger everyone around you.

  By  Anonymous, at 2:43 AM, October 05, 2007  

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• These leashes are dangerous...if not deadly. While out walking with a friend one morning, a huge uncontrollable lab was able to escape its' owner's grip. The came running towards me and as the leash and the heavy handle bopped along, it wrapped itself around my ankle in an instant. I was dragged over thirty feet down a paved road on my bum. When I tried to get the cord from amputating my foot off, I used my other leg to slow the dog down and managed to tear my hamstring completely off my pelvis. I have a permanent rope burn on one ankle and had to have major surgery to reattach the muscle to bone in the hopes that I will have normal mobility again some day. I am currently in a brace where I can only lay flat or stand up straight for six weeks. Once the brace comes off, I have months of PT ahead of me. I am young, healthy and was a runner...I love dogs and this has competely ruined my quality of life. These leashes are not safe!!!

  By  Anonymous, at 4:17 PM, October 20, 2007  

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• To Anonymous dated 20 Oct. What happened to you is incredible and tragic. Retain a good lawyer and contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It's the only way to maybe get manufactures to take these leashes off the market before they kill somebody.

  By  Anonymous, at 4:23 AM, November 26, 2007  

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• my fiance is being wrongfully accused of child abuse due to these retractable leashes, my four year old son had wrapped this leash around his neck and it left a wound, now my 2 youngest children are removed from my home and although my 2 oldest were witnesses that my fiance is innocent it doesnt matter because of the wound this leash had left on him. These leashes are very dangerous and many people might not think of the consequences this item can bring.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:25 PM, December 18, 2007  

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• I have a 115 pound rottie that i use one of these on regularly. You guys must be idiots to be losing limbs. Makes me wonder about the saying,..... "a dog is like his master" they are probably just as dopey as YOU!

  By  Anonymous, at 4:22 PM, December 30, 2007  

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• I had one of these leashes wrad itself around a tree in my front yard from an escaped dog. The dog was pulling and tugging so hard it eventually cut the tree down sending it on top of my home. As y unexpecting children play in the room they were crushed to death from the impact of the house. DAMN these LEASHES!!!

  By  Anonymous, at 4:27 PM, December 30, 2007  

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• I have a 13lb Wheaten puppy who wanted to see another dog and pulled the handle out of my hand. I have a broken ring finger that will need surgery.

  By  tidbitsandnuggets, at 11:46 AM, January 09, 2008  

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• I've used a retractable belt leash for years and I absolutely love it. They are a bit more expensive than the retractable cord leashes but well worth the price. I ditched my cord leash when my dog went running past my leg and gave me a good rope burn. The belt with it's wide ribbon design is much safer and easier to handle. It's important to train your dog the proper and safe way to walk with the leash. Not good for aggressive over over-active dogs.

  By  Johnny, at 12:44 AM, February 12, 2008  

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• I was standing still and my dog went after another dog. The leash handle snapped out of my hand, hit my Achilles tendon, and ruptured it. Now, I'm in a cast for 8-12 weeks with therapy to follow. Those leashes can travel at very high velocity and whatever is in the way is vulnerable to serious injury. They are a unique invention, but can be very dangerous.

  By  Ms. Haley, at 8:01 AM, February 22, 2008  

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• To insult the folks that are injured and call them names is just wrong. I think there are enough stories here to cause concern about these leashes. I do have one and mostly my husband uses it. He is not a very experienced dog owner, so I have been a little concerned about him using it. I know people who have actually died using a regular leash(wrapped around, fell, hit head on curb-dead). Bottom line-consistant dog training.
  It seams long retractable leashes don't retract easily and quickly enough and since circumstances can change in an instant (another dog, your dog shoots off after something), they don't sound practical or safe. I won't be using it.
  Thanks all who shared.

  By  Anonymous, at 2:09 PM, February 23, 2008  

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• I've been walking my dogs four times per day, every day, in the same neighborhood for seven years, always on traditional six-foot leashes. I can't even begin to recount all of the retractable leash disasters--and even more near disasters--that I've seen over the years. I've seen dogs injured, almost get killed (by other, larger dogs as a small dog on a retractable leash turns the corner, leaving its owner's line of sight as it's about to be devoured by another dog, sometimes mine! I've seen people walk on one side of the street while their dog walks on the other (what happens when a car comes and runs over the leash?). I've seen people drop the leash handle, scaring the crap out of the dog who takes off, panicking as the leash winds itself around his legs. I've seen people who walk their dogs even though they haven't yet mastered how the retractable leash works, having to abandon the handle altogether and just grab the thin, dangerous, cord, as they desperately try to real their dog in before it gets hit by a car or attacked by another dog. What's most significant, though, is that in some areas, my city included, there are leash laws. In my city, a dog is not considered leashed unless you have six feet or less of leash between yourself and your dog, which means, essentially, that you're breaking the law if you're using a retractable leash. It's not enforced, of course, but if someone's dog on a retractable leash were to injure me or my dogs, you can bet your sweet ass that I'd point this ordinance out to my lawyer when I sued your pants off.
  Retractable leashes are for idiots, people who know nothing about dogs and have never bothered to learn anything about them. If you don't believe me, take a poll among professional dog trainers. How many of them do you think recommend retractable leashes?

  By  Anonymous, at 2:28 PM, March 19, 2008  

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• I was at an obedience trial with my well-trained Chesapeake. The Utility class was huge and dragged on and on through the morning, then through the lunch break. After sitting around for the better part of 5 hours, it looked like our turn was coming up, so I took Rusty outside on his flexi to air and get some exercise in the form of chasing his tennis ball. I'm a good thrower and was very controlled with him making sure not to toss the ball out for more than 10 or 12 feet which gave him plenty of line for the ball even considering it's usual ability to roll forward. 4 or 5 tosses and everything was well......I tossed it again and for no apparent reason, the lead locked up and I went into the horizontal flying human position because I wouldn't let go of the unit for fear of it's doing great bodily damage to my dog with it retracted!!! I became the flying human projectile as I got jerked up into a horizontal position and forward about 10 feet, and landed flat on the front of my body in the muddy grass. When I got jerked, I felt my neck and back snap, and it did hurt. After I recovered from the initial shock of what happened, I picked myself up, decided I was still intact, albeit covered with mud now (and I still hadn't gone into the ring), and tried to figure out why the leash locked up! No reason other than it did, and not because I had tossed the ball out too far! I had already been suffering with an ongoing series of very painful stiff necks that my roommate kept berating me for not going to the chiropracter, so I was really concerned about what kind of damage this had now added to that. As it turned out, quite to the contrary.....instead it had 'adjusted' whatever had been the cause of the stiff necks and I never had another one after that! Surely could have gone the other way though! I am an experience dog owner/trainer and this was clearly a case of flexi malfunction and not inept operator. I've had this happen before, i.e. lockups for no apparent reason, but not to the severity of that day! I could have really been hurt that day!!

  By  chessiemom7, at 10:57 AM, April 09, 2008  

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• Last night I was walking my lab as I have done for many years. She jumped a rabbit, took off. It happened so fast by the time I noticed she was running ,the length of rope ran out. I was pulled off my feet and onto the road. Lost both front teeth,broke a toe and have road burn on my nose, lip and chin. Once the length of the leash has been extended ,the dog has tremedous leverage. I too have used them for years w/o a problem. Not anymore. I have months of extensive dental surgery to look forward to. It's a shame many people have to learn about this produce thru such extreme injury. Just because a problem has not occured yet, please keep in mind that it is possible.

  By  Anonymous, at 3:10 PM, April 25, 2008  

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• ya, i know the dangers of a flexi lead i lost my right ear walking my dog last year, a cat came into our yard and this was just before i was taking my dog across the street to the big lot for walk we take everyday with that long flexi lead she jumped up in the air off the ground and it wrapped around my ear, it was fast i had no time to get it off my ear, and also i lost my right thumb trying to stop it from burning my leg at the same time, now i cant work and i hope i can get help soon because i need to feed my dog and i miss the walks after working each day .medical bills are high and i will never hear again in that ear , and that cat didnt have a flexi lead he was just free to cause all this touble .

  By  Anonymous, at 5:06 PM, April 29, 2008  

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• I just had my tea cup poodle in the backyard with a flexi leash on. She heard a neighbor in the front yard and ran. I tried to make sure the leash was secured. My hand slipped and the rope slid across my wrist,severely burning me. If she had been any bigger or the rope were any longer it would have definitely cut further past my wrist possibly cutting veins. Buyer beware, this product is hazardous for adults but definitely do not allow your children to use them.

  By  Danielle, at 12:48 PM, April 30, 2008  

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• Ive owned Dogs my whole life. I never use a retractable leash. My husband picked one up about a year ago I figured I would try it the other night.I wasnt out of the house 5min. and I ended up in the emergency room.I had it set at about 6ft. My dogs regular leash is 5ft. he went to run and the hook broke The swivel part stayed attached to the leash and came back at me with such force it split my chin open after it hit my chin it hit my upper inside rightarm MY ARM WAS STILL EXTENDED thats how fast and so much force that after my face took the hit my arm has a huge bruise I had to get stitches and all I kept saying was what if it was my eye or if it hit me in the mouth it would of busted my teeth.Now Im not a stupid person and me and my husband have commonsence and we both read everything And when this happened I thought I was the only one.I started reading the injury's and I can't believe these are still on store shelves. Beth

  By  Anonymous, at 7:13 PM, June 03, 2008  

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• i was burned last night by one. I use a 6 foot classic leash on my small (12 lbs)dog and another small dog, maybe around 8 lbs, was on a retractable leash. The two dogs were "talking" and they ended up running around me and the retractable leash got around one my ankles and burned it. I'm not dumb, (I have a law degree) and I know how to use a leash. It just happened very quickly and I didn't really think about that happenening. I have a retractable leash, but have never used it and it will now stay that way! These things are awful. You can buy very long leashes if you want your dog to be able to have more running room, but these things are awful!

  By  Anonymous, at 9:02 AM, June 20, 2008  

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• I just hate retractable leashes. They are dangerous to the dog, the dog's guardian, and passersby. If your dog runs into the street, you simply can't reel the dog back in. Grabbing that narrow cord is not very effective and can be very painful or even injurious. A friend of mine saw a dog on a retractable leash get hit by a car! I've had two of them break on me during use, which could have been tragic, since my dog ran right into the street. Plus, the fact that with retractable leashes, you're teaching your dog to pull all the time, because every pull is rewarded. I wish they had never been invented.

  By  KP, at 12:23 PM, June 24, 2008  

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• These leashes are convenient if your dog doesn't way much and doesn't run away with sudden force. Anything else and they are very dangerous. Like the June 20th poster, I had the exact same thing happen to me except one dog was 20 pounds and the other was 35 pounds. Excited about seeing the neighbors' dogs, one dog ran one way, the other ran around me and I accidentally got caught in the tangle, when the bigger dog suddenly rushed, tightening the leashes around my legs. Both of my legs were lacerated so badly that they left such deep indentations that it looks like someone tried to saw off my legs. I will have permanent scars and probably can't wear shorts without exposing these giant slashes. My girlfriend had a similar experience where she was walking one dog, who ran off suddenly, and she sliced both of her palms open from the leash. I think that these leashes are only safe for certain kinds of dogs, and certainly not safe if you have more than 1 dog.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:10 AM, June 26, 2008  

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• I always thought the flexi leash was great, until last week. I was walking my 80 pound lab when a stranger came up to pet him. My dog was excited to greet a friendly person and somehow in the play circled around the persons leg. Then another person approached to join the play session and my dog ran towards that person and pulled the rope around the first persons leg. I saw this happening and tried to prevent injury to the person. I knew that pulling the handle would only add to the tension so I grabbed the rope between my dog and the person and tried to pull my dog back toward me to release the tension. I dont know how much if at all this helped but it is instinct to try to do something. In the end it left me with severe burns on four fngers and decent burn ring around the persons leg. When I got home after bandaging my burns I threw that hazardous leash in the trash!! I will never walk my dog on this type of leash again and recommend anyone not to go near a dog being walked on one, especially watch your children to keep them away from flexi leashes.

  By  Anonymous, at 8:20 AM, June 27, 2008  

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• I have a flexi retractable dog leash and I think they are brilliant. Someone who wrapped the cord round their finger are asking for trouble, it is just pure common sense not to do this. So I do not blame the company for this, I blame the person/dog owner. It is just stupidity really. I will continue to use mine every day.

  By  Andree, at 6:00 AM, July 05, 2008  

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• I think dog leashes are just OK if you use it properly. If you are the type of dog owner who wants to bring your dog wherever you go, a simple yet reliable dog leash with various uses is the most convenient material to use.

  By  rayter, at 7:39 AM, July 07, 2008  

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