PUPFITTERS UTILITY LEASH |
 |
What Is It?
The PupFitters Utility Leash is a premium quality general purpose dog leash that attaches to the dog’s harness or collar. The Utility Leash is available in three sizes: Mini, Medium and Monster. Mini size is for the little ones under 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms). Medium size is for dogs between 25-125 pounds (11.3 - 56.7 kilograms). Monster size is designed for dogs weighing more than 125 pounds (56.7 Kilograms) and larger dogs that tend to pull on leash. PupFitters Utility Leashes are crafted in the U.S. of the finest materials available.
Design Background & Philosophy
A few years ago my wife and I decided to replace all of our dog leashes after the snap hook on one of the leashes suddenly failed. Despite an exhaustive search, we could not find a suitable utility leash at any price. It’s not that every leash we looked at was bad; I just had very stringent functional requirements.
In developing the PupFitters Utility Leash safety was the primary design objective. Therefore, the leash is built strong and reliable. As it is meant for daily usage the PupFitters Utility Leash is designed to be user friendly for both dogs and people.
Product Description
In selecting materials we often look for inspiration in other products and designs. For the PupFitters Utility Leash we relied heavily on the aerospace and marine industries. Airplanes and boats are two applications in which a relatively low tech product is used to protect very high value assets. Just go to most any marina and see all of the luxurious boats tied up with the humble dock line. Similarly, visit your local airport and look at all of the expensive airplanes lashed to the tarmac with simple tie-down ropes. We also relied heavily on the horse world. Given the size and strength of these magnificent creatures we were sure that the rope and hardware used in horse applications had to be good. So we spent lots of time at marinas, airports and tack shops. All of these were ideal research sources for developing rope and hardware for our premium quality dog leashes.
The rope used in the PupFitters Utility Leash is a high strength multi-filament polypropylene blend. The rope is water resistant and will not rot or mildew. The material is also resistant to damage from Ultraviolet exposure. The rope weave is soft to the touch and has just a little bit of stretch or “give” for comfort.
The loops forming the handle and snap hook attachment points are secured using aircraft grade nylon webbing. The webbing is sewn with aircraft grade thread and double stitched using industrial sewing machines. The handle is large enough to use while wearing gloves. The handle attachment webbing forms a secure hand grip that provides extra leverage for dogs that tend to pull while on leash.
The thumb operated snap hooks are robust, solid brass units originally designed for marine applications. The snap hooks are very strong with good weather resistance. The Monster size leashes are available with different hardware for police and military dog applications (See the Specialty Leash section of our website).
Every PupFitters Utility Leash is equipped with a solid brass “D” ring sewn securely into the rope near the handle. This provides an attachment point for a variety of items such as keys, waste bags, flashlights, pepper spray, etc.
Compromises & Limitations
In an ideal world everything that we own would perform beautifully in all circumstances, require no maintenance, last forever and cost next to nothing. Of course our world is not exactly perfect. Compromises are a fundamental part of design and engineering. The PupFitters Utility Leash has its own design compromises and limitations.
Once again safety is our highest priority. To make the PupFitters Utility Leash strong and reliable we used premium quality materials. In addition, each leash is individually crafted in the United States by highly experienced industrial assemblers. Maintaining this high level of quality is expensive. So the PupFitters Utility Leashes cost considerably more than those available from other dealers and pet stores. Quite simply we chose quality over cost considerations.
To make the leash comfortable we use a very soft, pliable weave. A design tradeoff is that the leash is susceptible to picking up burrs and catching on underbrush. It is unlikely that an occasional romp through the woods will cause any real harm to the leash (although some cosmetic damage may result). Because of this we do not recommend the PupFitters Utility Leash for walking in heavily wooded areas or thick underbrush. We are currently testing an “up armored” version of the Utility Leash for use in heavy underbrush.
In addition, the rope’s soft weave makes the fabric strands susceptible to “pulling” if chewed. On several occasions one of our dogs (a hyperactive product tester puppy named Maggie) chewed on the mini utility leash. The damage was minor, but the leash doesn’t look so great. Certainly the leashes are not chew proof. A determined dog could chew through the rope given enough time. As such we do not recommend the PupFitters Utility Leash for puppies and other chronic chewers.
Specifications
For further information please see the individual product pages.
