First light this morning., so off I trot with the pack in tow for their morning 30 minute walk. I take them out the front door and straight up through into the fields. The fields are edged by Beanwood, a large as the name suggests.. dense wooded area. On the other side of the wood is a static travellers park, it's been there for years, never a problem, although the edge of their park is a bit scruffy as you would expect. So Casper is on his long line, legs it towards the wood, unfortunately as its cold my hand doesn't have a proper grip on the long line, and off he bolts towards the wood. He did this the other day, and usually he just does this if he sees a deer, not this morning though, he is just... gone! I hang around, then decide to head back down the hill with Benson and Bramble. He doesn't turn up, so a bit worried I head back out looking for him. In the wood I can hear frantic barking, obviously Casper! Oh Lord, my heart sinks, what has he done? Where is he? Followed by various colourful expletives in my head...Anyhow, I force my way through the brambles and uneven undergrowth, listening out for Casper, his barking has turned more excited as he can hear me coming to his rescue. I am getting uncomfortably close to the travellers park. I break out from the heavy undergrowth, covered in twigs, looking like some mad woman in a movie.. to be faced by a huge mountain of disgusting rubbish...bags, plastic, food wrappers, old chairs, sofas piled about 20 foot high, and...you guessed it...right on top, looking very relieved to see me.,.was Casper! With his long line very firmly tangled up in all that mess. Oh My God... So I have to somehow clamber up...and untie Casper who is now all worried and anxious...well a huge bloke is walking towards us...I turn...slip and fall half way down, desperately reaching out, finding nothing but slimy wrappers to stop my fall...He just looks at me, and I think he says something like "heard barking.." but I can't honestly be sure... Anyhow, after a shower, a coffee, I feel a bit more normal. Casper is the size of a house..so god knows what he has been scavenging. Seriously, why do I bother with homemade treats, premium kibble, with ingredients carefully scrutinised, when the delights of a rubbish heap are far more appealing? One thing I can say for sure, life is very interesting with a labrador, you do get to meet lots of people, whether you want to or not. Oh and watch out for long lines in woods and on rubbish heaps!
Oh my gosh, thank goodness you both are ok! I think long lines definitely have disadvantages. I blow hot and cold on them - for every time I find them helpful, there is another time I end up cursing them as more trouble than they are worth.
Oh, my, what a story! All's well that ends well. Sounds like you might have need to make that coffee Irish!
Heavens!!!! So glad you're both OK. I'm with Julie, for every useful interaction I've had with long lines I've had frustrating, ridiculous ones and on balance I tend to try and think up other methods to avoid the faff!
Yes I agree, with you both @JulieT and @bbrown. Think I am going to revisit this for the morning walks. Hmm...maybe use the long biothane lead attached to the back D ring of his perfect fit harness, with the other end attached to a waist belt just for the mornings. I have gone hands free with him attached to the waist for other walks and works really well. The sheep will be gone from the paddock soon so we can split the walking. It just gets a bit more challenging in the winter months doesn't it?
Yup time pressure really forces your hand. I took my two out together yesterday and a loose adolescent cow meant I had an horrendous walk with an unusually deaf Riley and a lead monster Obi. I gave up and came home. Took them out separately later with far more success but oi oi what a morning
Really, I think long lines are useful only when used for specific training exercises - that you've set up, and preferably on smooth, open ground. The idea that a dog can trail a long line (how many times do you hear that from trainers? 'Oh, I always have the puppy trail a long line for the first year' ) on a pet dog walk on Wimbledon Common is pretty bonkers.
Well, since there were no injuries I vote that a funny story. Though I didn't see the plastic garbage bag till about a week after Oban ate it. I've seen and heard of some pretty bad injuries to human and dog from the long line
Oh gosh ,I got quite adept with a long line in certain areas over the Summer but you really have to keep your wits about you,I found it hard if we were in company ....really having to make sure no one got hurt,it annoyed me now it used to go underneath him too although Dexter got good at lifting his leg for me to straighten it out. I'm glad you didn't get hurt in the fall and that you found Casper before he got in any more of a tangle and hurt himself x
I too am glad that this is an "alls well that ends well" kind of story (not to mention fun to read - thank you for sharing your adventure!). I never gave much thought to long lines and never used them, but the ladies I walk with in Germany use them all time for newly rescued street dogs. My one poor friend has broken her middle finger AND her leg due to long line catastrophes. I know they have their uses, but I'm kind of scared of them!
Well Casper is fine today after his adventure. He is blowing up like a balloon, so lord knows what he ate! He is on very small meals of wet food, to help things along, so he thinks I am starving him! He is pooing...and apparently it is not very pleasant! @Bensons-dad took Casper out, whilst I took both Bramble and Benson for walk. Instead of the usual "Good day at work?" It was "Has he pooed yet?"
Oh yeah, every time Xena darts off into the bush I'm worried that she'll get her line caught and I'll have to go in there after her. She's only ever a few metres in, but the bush can be dense...agh, but a mountain of rubbish is far, far worse. I'm glad that you (and ratbag) didn't hurt yourselves!
What a nightmare. You poor thing!!! Glad it ended ok (once you got to have a scrub in the shower...).
Oh dear, Casper Glad you are okay though Kate. I walk in the woods too much to have found a long line useful. Would rather have the retractability of a tape-style retractable lead. For ME it is safer, but Lilly knows how far she can go and when it is clicked locked, and she is not a puller. You can tell she hears the click of the lock and resumes her closer walking. I appreciate it is not a training aid which the whole point of the long line is, though.
Just to add, I'm not against a retractable leash or a long line, they have their place. The instances of injury to dog and human than I've seen or heard of were negligence on the part of the user. A lady at our field training borrowed my long line, neglected to place it properly, sent her dog out, it wrapped around her ankle, she got a terrible, terrible rope burn. My line had been in swamp water and dirt, her leg was swollen up to her knee the day after. She still has a scar. I also know of a dog with it's leg broken in two places, an owner with a dislocated shoulder and his wife with a bad cut behind her knee. All from long lines or retractable leashes and the people not thinking. Be careful with those things.
