Vir-Chew-Ly Indestructible™ Leashes

In 2003, nearly twenty years after Shelly’s death, I  decided to bring dogs back into my life. I bought home Jake, an Australian Shepherd.

Jake’s a chewer. Rawhide, shoes, towels, you name it and he will chew it. One of his favorite “chew toys” was leashes. Nylon or leather, he went through dozens of leashes in rapid succession.

Despite his chewing, Jake brought me such joy and healing that I decided to get another Australian Shepherd, Judo.

Two chewers and several hundred dollars later, I got fed up with the leashes I was finding on the market. Even twenty-five dollar couplers didn’t work, Jake would just chew through his and Judo’s straps and I would find them sitting in front of the door of whatever coffee shop or store I had ducked into.

Going back to the pet store, my only other option was chain link. If you have ever tried to walk an excited dog or two, you know chain link is one of the most unmanageable and painful materials in the world. So what is an enterprising dog mom to do?

I went to the hardware store. After some trial and error, I developed a leash using aircraft cable, carabiners and fasteners. It wasn’t pretty but it was functional and Jake couldn’t chew through it. (Oh, he tried but only once or twice.)

So I did it, I made a virtually indestructible leash that could help me prevent losing another dog. Then what? First, I started making leashes here and there for friends and an occasional dog owner. Then finally in 2008, after a lot of prodding from my friends, family and customers, I started selling my Vir-Chew-Ly Indestructible™ Leashes to local pet stores and through Portland, Oregon’s Saturday Market.

Over the years, I’ve made dozens of design refinements in order to increase my Vir-Chew-Ly Indestructible™ Leashes’ safety, strength and break point capacity. I have learned how to work a hydraulic press, field-test my product and design new products to serve my customers’ needs.

One hundred and fifty pet stores and ten thousand leashes later, a lot has changed except my commitment to that irreplaceable part of your life, your dog.

MuttGear is dog-centric so please send me your feedback, dog stories, product suggestions and testimonials. And when life gets to be too much, remember to take a cue from your dog - find that sunny spot on the couch, breathe and let go.

-Joslin