Why I carry an emergency dog leash pretty much all the time -- it's a good time to get some yourself with fireworks season starting.
While on vacation in California, friends spotted a wayward poodle alone + scared and bumping his/her way through the world near a sort of remote touristy spot. They had a dog with them, but no extra leash or way to safely contain the little dog. They called local animal control, but on a Sunday at that time of day, no real luck. On their home turf, it would have been a different situation, but far from home with no real useable equipment they were unable to get the dog to safety themselves. So, they put the call out via social media to others in the area for help. That earned them diatribes from snotty people. Honestly. People really suck sometimes. These scenarios, though, are exactly why I carry an emergency leash (or two) with me. Here's what I carry and when ...
Emergency Dog Leashes I Carry
From left to right:
- Padded martingale collar + leash combo in my car
- Rope-style slip leash in my hiking backpack
- Thin woven or cord-like slip leashes (like what they use at veterinary hospitals) in my dogs' treat bag that I wear on walks or hikes
You'll notice that they all include a collar-slip element because you CANNOT rely on loose, wayward, injured, or in-danger dogs to be wearing collars.
You *can make a makeshift slip leash using a regular clip-on leash, by stringing the leash through its handle, but then you don't have much to hold onto.
To the Rescue
My emergency dog leashes come in handy such as when a neighbor's puppy came to visit us on the road during a walk. Now suddenly "responsible" for this wayward stinker, I wanted to leash her up pronto to keep her safe from cars as we walked back toward her home.
Once when driving down to town, I saw a women struggling to hold onto 2 big dogs collars on our road. Clearly, they'd gotten out, and she was trying to take them home. It wasn't going well. So, I pulled over, whipped out my emergency leashes from the car, and helped her lasso them and walk them home. Turns out, she's the mom of one of my neighbors and was house/dog sitting for them.
Similar Situation
Many years ago, my hubs found a VERY old dog stumbling around in traffic. He jumped out and got her into his truck. I don't remember if he had an emergency dog leash or not, but with no answer at the number on her collar / tags, he brought her home until we could track down her people. Turned out that her main family was on vacation, and she'd wandered away from their petsitter (another family member). It took some online sleuthing, but I figured out that her family owned a business in town, so I called there for help. They gave us the petsitter's contact information so that we could connect and get the dog back to them. We later learned she'd been euthanized not long after the family got back from vacation, but at least she did NOT die alone and scared in the world.
Emergency Dog Leashes in Bulk
You can buy the woven slip leashes online in bulk if you want to stock up and stash them for future use.
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