As I write this I am reconsidering why I even have a dog (even such a very cute dog) in New England, in the winter. Before you rush to the comments section to tell me I am heartless and not worthy of my dog’s love (quite possibly true), I am freezing! I do love our dog, what I do not love is the oh-so-very long time I am out in this bitter cold. Anyway, I met someone last week who really loves dogs and found a solution to a problem he had while walking his dog. If you have a retractable leash (nice for letting the dog have a little more freedom), you will have experienced the problem of how to hold the handle of this leash while doing something else, be it getting a bag out of your pocket, answering your cell phone or pretty much anything else that requires two hands.
So Deric Dyer came up with something (the Free Hand Safety Strap) that lets you hold the retractable leash without you going through the armpit hold, the under the chin hold or the between the knees or under one foot hold (while all pretty – not always fun). He patented his invention and it is great. It lets you still have the freedom and latitude of a retractable leash but without having to hold that awkward handle. His accessory loops easily on your wrist – or belt loop if you are so inclined (I am in snow pants – no belt loops, it will be the wrist for me).
Here’s a video from his site that shows how it works:
