The Laughing Leash™ doing its job. All photos K. Kiefer, Dog Bone Studio

When the folks at Laughing My Tail Off asked me to review the Laughing Leash™, I took a look at the website, found myself amused but intrigued, and happily agreed to do so.  I asked for both sizes, and they very generously sent me four leashes in various materials and patterns.

I also looked at what other reviewers had to say before trying it out for myself. As a rehabber of dogs with behavior issues, I'm reluctant to try out something new that may actually cause more harm than good. The reviews were helpful, but none really discussed the leash as a genuine training tool except animal training expert, Eve Alexander, another Examiner.com reporter who glowingly reported it worked well with puppies just learning to leash-walk. 

That one little clue was enough to convince me to try the leash as a tool for handling shelter dogs, and very shy small hounds in particular, my personal target audience.

My experience with the leash proved to me that it is perhaps the most exciting new tool I've used to work with anxious/shy dogs in years. 

In this area, it is distinctly more than just a really convenient  leash for dog and walker, which it is. I think it may be worth a little genuine study by a behaviorist to find out why.

The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA is about the most unforgiving place one can try out a new innovation for animals. If it doesn't work like it should, I'll find out quickly. The staff and volunteers are no more interested in fiddling around with poorly conceived or manufactured products than I am, but are equally as excited and happy about the good stuff we find. And nobody is more reliable with honest opinions than Susanne Kogut, the CASPCA's executive director, who I knew had taken home some feral puppies to socialize and train. I gave her a leash, the appearance of which she found amusing (it really is), and she agreed to give it a try on the puppies. I gave two more to Carlos, the CASCPA's staff manager and very experienced handler, and asked him to have staff and volunteers give them a try. That was 6 weeks ago. I admit to keeping the cute fuzzy baby-blue one at home to use on the smallest dogs of my clients.

The camouflage model at full tension.

The thumbs-up verdict from Director Susanne Kogut was more visual than vocal. A week ago I caught up with her in the CASPCA parking lot unloading various foster dogs and office materials and immediately noticed she was using the Laughing Leash™ with one of the puppies. "I LOVE this thing" was about all she had to say as I grabbed a dog to help out.  We talked a little about how it made walking the pups so much easier because of its springiness and gentle "recall" reminder, and that no-tangle feature just can't be beat.

Extreme close-up --  still tangle free!

I'd spoken with Carlos on a few occasions about his experiences and was pleased to hear that he too found the leash seemed not only to work well and make life easier with smaller dogs,  but was just as pleased if mystified by its calming effect on the anxious dogs. I'm reluctant to hazard a guess in print as to why with only a few weeks of anecdotal evidence as proof and no letters behind my name, but as long as it works, I'll use it.

The lone detractor I spoke with, also a very experienced handler, found the leash made her uncomfortable because she had difficulty shortening it up tightly and quickly when necessary. 

Understandably, a dog that hasn't been out for a bit and is over excited and perhaps aggressive about greeting other shelter dogs needs to be on a lead that can be very quickly shortened. It takes some practice to manage this correctly with the Laughing Leash™, but it can be done and shouldn't stop you from buying one. Also, when it came to light that she had not actually tried the leash with any of the anxious or shy dogs, I asked her to give it a second chance with this group. I could see she was already mulling over the pleasant possibilities of a leash that had a calming effect on the anxious dogs in her charge. 

Amos is a senior dog who benefits from the gentle springiness
and much safer "retractable" feature of the Laughing Leash™.
Amos is available for adoption through the CASPCA, an award-
winning No Kill organization.

I think perhaps the most telling moment about the efficacy of the Laughing Leash™ was when I walked into the front lobby yesterday and saw the leopard print number hanging on the adoptable dog showcase pen. It was being used to take Amos out for visiting and walks. He's a lovely older man, a little nervous in new situations due to some mild sight issues, but completely laid back otherwise. That put the fourth star on it for me. I hadn't even considered how much gentler and safer the leash was for older dogs, especially those with a little vision loss.

Star number five goes to the creators for donating a portion of sales to various shelters around the country.  Good on ya'.

Lastly, for those of us who are addicted to boutique-style glamour and perfect-with- everything accessories, having a variety of leashes that match your handbag, dog, shoes and sunglasses AND won't topple you over your 4' Manolo Blahniks is just TOO much fun.

Don't forget to check out Examiner.com's Spring Fling adoption drive!