• Health & Handling

  Creating a Slip Line With Any Leash – to Rescue a Lost Dog

  Posted by Catherine Comden on September 8, 2022 at 3:21 pm

  I had the priviledge of catching this poor boy last night and getting him into an animal welfare organization today, so he can get the care he needs. As many lost dogs are, he was very scared. Although he was interested in the food and water I provided, he was not at all interested in me touching him and would dart away, just out of reach, especially when he first saw my leash.

  After a couple hours “just hanging out together”, he relaxed and lied down. I was still up on my feet and wandering around – he’d gotten used to me – and I was able to sidle up next to him casually and slip my line over his head. Once he was “caught”, he fortunately became resigned, as some dogs do, to coming along with me. I think he was actually a bit relieved. Today, he’s getting medical attention and hopefully his owners will come looking for him!

  Anyway, today it occurred to me that it may be helpful to many dog lovers here to know how to turn any leash into a slip line, making it possible to help a dog that you can’t touch. I’ve caught many dogs using this simple technique. (It can be risky and dangerous…so I don’t recommend trying this unless you are prepared to deal with an upset dog potentially panicking and biting.) – But for our developing dog pros here, I thought it would be good to talk about this technique, and especially about the dos and don’ts:

  Notice how big I can make the loop with just one hand, by extending my thumb and holding the loop part between my last couple of fingers.

  What do you think were some of my concerns about this technique, especially with a thick-coated dog? Do you have any tips to share to make this safer, or thoughts about the risks involved?

  

  

  

  Catherine Comden replied 3 years, 11 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies

  • leash_handling
  • lost_dog
  • safety
  • slip_line
  • stray
  • technique
• 2 Replies

• 

  David Muriello

  Administrator

  September 8, 2022 at 10:38 pm

  You are a stray helping hero, @catherine I hope he’s okay. ????

• 

  Catherine Comden

  Administrator

  September 15, 2022 at 9:29 am

  Thanks. It was sure good to get him the medical help he needed.

  To answer my own question – I was worried about the noose getting stuck in his thick fur. Had I thought it through better, I should have clipped a second lead to the noose handle so I could tug it loose once he was crated. As it was, I had to leave the line on him because he was, *ahem*, not tolerant of my presence, once he was crated. “???? ” is what he said, exactly.

  Anyway – it was good to get him safe. Well worth the time and expense.

  ????

Log In to Reply