London cyclist says 'invisible' retractable dog lead stretched across path cut through his clothing and injured him

I've been discouraged from using extendable leads as they give a 'dead' feel to the dog - with a proper lead, you can give gentle feedback to the dog and encourage them to behave.

Not that this has worked terribly well with one of mine - he still pulls dreadfully despite me and others spending hours trying to train him. Luckily, he's become pretty reliable off-lead and has learnt to avoid bikes. Runners, not so much so, as he sees them as mobile petting possibilities and because he's so happy and cute, it often works.

I'd disagree that some kind of lungeing rope is better than a retractable lead though - I've had a too-close encounter with one, and it would have easily broken a few bones. 

I hate those things with a passion.  And the other day I had a set too with a dog walker as I dared to challenge them that there dog was under control on their extendable lead.........

I was on a mixed use path beside a quiet road, and the dog was running about at full extension on the lead as I was approaching on my bike and the owner made no attempt to control the dog on the lead.  Had the usual discussion to which they said their dog was definitely under control.  So I picked up a loose stone, got the dogs attention and threw it across the road (this was on a Sunday and there were no cars about) and the dog was on the opposite carriageway before the owner had time to react.

They now beleive that their dog was not under control on the extendable lead... job done

Shouldn't the dog walker and dog be wearing helmets and hi-Viz?

There are times and places where the retractable leads have use. In a local village, the bye laws prohibit dogs on any public spaces without being on a lead. So retractable leads allows some exercise whilst not infringing local rules. However, I would only use this in a wide open space, away from any traffic.

The key point is lead use needs to be responsible, dog ownership needs to be responsible, and cycling should be responsible. When one side falls down, then it is negligent and people can get hurt. A little bit of respect goes a long way. If you're somewhere where other people may use the same space, then be vigilant and ready to act.

In this case, it sounds like the lead use was not responsible. My dogs would be of their lead in an open park, but I am confident I could bring them to heel or into down-position at distance.

From a dog walkers perspective. On foot on a footpath. Why is the cyclist on the path and i bet he didnt use a bell. Extendable dog leads are useful however when some idiot on a bike trying to improve their PB appears out of nowhere accidents do happen.

I'm not a fan of extendable leads as it massively reduces control of the dog, while providing a handy garotte for cyclists.

However there are also a fair few irresponsible cyclists out there that don't ring bells/shout early enough to allow a reaction. This is especially true when dealing with groups of people or dog walkers. You need to leave enough time between ringing your bell and being on top of the peds for them to turn around, figure out where you are and decide which way they're going.

On our local shared use path I keep the dog on a short fixed lead (not an extender) and I tell my kids "If I call 'bike' then you come to *my* side".

Private Eye had a cartoon a couple of weeks ago: bloke standing next to a sign saying "Dogs must be kept on a lead" and he had an extending lead which headed off over the horizon...

Extending leads are pointless. If the dog needs to be on a lead, it needs to be on a short, static one. The extending leads are also heavy, awkward to carry when not in use, and generally fall apart within a year. They're crap.

Disclosure: I'm a dog owner.

I've nearly come a cropper with one of those not long ago. Walker on the left and the dog invisible in the bushes on the right... on a downhill stretch. There was nothing about the walker's stance that gave any clue and it was only my call of "Coming through on the right" that got the walker to stick their arm out to start retracting the lead. I didn't know the bike could stop that fast without me going over the bars.

My ex has one for her rescue dog and is responsible with it. I'm not sure where she got it but it is fluorescent yellow and flecked with reflective bits not one of those damned invisible things.

I have also been tangled up in one of these dog leads.

I have reported this and loose dogs (not in control in a public place) to both dog wardens and Sustrans and they refuse to address this significant H&S risk.

A time will come when individuals either take action into their own hands or sue for damages from Councils/Sustrans.

What get's me is why when pooch is on the left of the trial do dog owners insist on standing to the right and calling to heel?

My run ins on bikes havnt been fun usually the owners are on one side of a fire road while the dogs in the bushes on the other. I agree they are a danger.

I think the issue really is people not using them correctly. If your in a field an have a dog that likes to vanish fine extend away. on a path or similar keep it short, the dog shouldnt be running away at that point anyway it just re enforces a bad behaviour.

Another issue with these leads, is that the young are often too long when fully retracted with a poncy handle to hold the dog by. A proper slip lead or even choke chain and a trained dog is far safer.

I see dogs on extending leads that are unsociable and growl or bark at other dogs and pull as hard as they can, so they are even irritating to other dog walkers that have well behaved dogs. We have only used one on our dog when she is recovering after surgery, and she didn't even bother trying to wander off, she just walks next to us because that's what is trained to do when on a lead.

If owners control their dogs and train them, and cyclists and runners slow down near pedestrians and dogs it would work, but in reality, it rarely happens.

Think it's time, if not already be done, for a cyclist to sue a dog owner if they get caught up in an extending dog lead. I'd happily contribute to a fighting fund to get these things outlawed.

Something doesn't quite add up here.  Either the cyclist was on a recumbent, the dog was absolutely massive, or the owner was holding the lead in the the air.  for the lead to get his clothing and his face it'd have to be above handlebar level.  

My wife and I were talking about extending dog leads. She asked if we should get one for our pup. I said no as I think they're dangerous, particularly for cyclists. As our dog's a whippet he can move pretty quickly when he wants to. Perhaps using an extending lead is ok when someone is walking a dog in heathland away from a path and as one previous poster says, the animal has a habit of running off. But I certainly wouldn't use one near a path as they don't give sufficient control. A dog can move pretty quickly if it sees a squirrel or a cat for example and not so many are so well trained not to chase. A whippet like mine is even bred to chase small prey in fact so he's either on a normal lead or off the lead when we're in  apublic park.

A while back I narrowly avoided being taken out by someone who had their lead completely blocking a foot/bike bridge in the dark with their lead. They can be very scary when used by idiots. 

also, if he can find these leads that are so long that both dog and owner were "some way away from the path" I wish he'd tell me where to buy them, because I can't find a long one!

I've thought for a long time that those things are downright dangerous, and not just to cyclists. I don't understand why they are not made a bright floreascent yellow, so that can be seen. As it is they are pracitcally invisible!

I'm surprised he doesn't sue the dog owner for damages.

Those leads are only for people who haven't/won't train their dogs sufficiently. A short lead is all that is required and any dog can be trained to walk to heel without pulling/straining at the leash. It horrifies me to see dogs straining away and the owners struggling to keep the dog under control - that takes far more effort than just training your dog. Once you get to a park/open space, then a well trained dog can be let off the lead and will return to you when called.

What really bugs me is that we've been selectively breeding dogs for centuries to be incredibly obedient and tolerant and then idiot owners just don't even bother with the basics and pretend that the dog is out of control (the owner let the dog behave like that).