Review: Ray Allen Nylon Adjustable Service Dog Leash with Frog Clip & Elusive 2.0 ID Collar with Handle
A few years ago while snowshoeing with the dogs in Colorado, the bolt snap on the leash I was using got jammed with snow and ice and disconnected from Japhy’s collar. Fortunately no one else was around and it wasn’t a huge deal, but if it had happened a few minutes earlier when a couple walked by with their large off-leash dog, it may not have gone so smoothly. I care about my dogs very much; therefore it’s imperative that the gear I use with them doesn’t fail. Add Japhy’s dog reactivity and it becomes even more important that we use gear that is absolutely reliable.
Soon after that incident, I purchased a Nylon Adjustable Service Dog Leash with Frog Clip from Ray Allen Manufacturing, and I absolutely love it. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts about this leash in today’s blog post.
Hardware. After the incident with the bolt snap, I decided that I really needed to invest in leashes with hardware that is 100% reliable in any situation. The Nylon Adjustable Service Dog Leash has a load-rated Black Diamond screw gate locking carabiner on one end, and a Kong Frog Clip on the other end. It may sound like overkill, but when you’re spending so much time on various outdoor adventures with two large, strong dogs, one of which is dog reactive and both of which have the appearance of a Pitbull-type dog, which results in immediate discrimination and judgment, trust me, it’s not overkill. It’s part of a system I use to keep my dogs safe out there.
The cool thing about the Kong Frog Clip is that 1) it engages the v-ring on the dogs’ collars automatically as soon as the metal touches the tongue of the clip. It takes only a second to reliably connect the leash, and you can very easily do it one-handed. You don’t have to hold the collar or the v-ring with one hand while connecting the clip with the other hand (though I suppose this might depend on the type of collar used). You simply open the Frog Clip and push it against the v-ring, and it engages and locks very securely in place. 2) The Frog Clip has two tabs that you pull down at the same time to engage/disengage it. If you accidentally press down only one side, it won’t budge. It’s fast, yet requires an action that cannot be easily replicated by accident.
The Frog Clip is also load rated at 24kN, which is equal to about 5400 force pounds, and the Black Diamond carabiner is load rated at 8kN which is equal to about 1800 force pounds. Why does this matter in everyday use? Well, it probably doesn’t, but when I’m out backpacking in the backcountry wilderness with my dogs for multiple days, it gives me peace of mind to know that if I had to lift or carry out an injured dog, the hardware on these leashes could handle it. Paired with a RAM harness, or any similar harness with appropriately placed load rated hardware, this leash can be used as an emergency carry system.
The Black Diamond locking carabiner on the other end means that I can clip the leash to a Trainer’s Belt, or even just wrap the leash around my waist to be hands-free. If I’d rather not have the dogs follow me around as I put up my tent in the evenings on trail, I can loop this leash around a tree, clip the carabiner through one of the many bar-tacked loops along the entire 7-foot length of nylon leash, and be free to set up my tent unencumbered.
Bar-tacked Stitching. This brings me to the next great feature. This leash is 7 feet of mil-spec nylon webbing, bar-tacked the entire length to create many individual loops. This allows me to put the leash around any object, clip the carabiner through one of the loops so that it doesn’t slide around, and have the dogs safely secured while I set up camp, or do any number of other things with my hands free.
This type of stitching is also incredibly strong and won’t come apart if a thread is cut. If you’d like to read more details about stitch types, hardware, types of nylon, and types of leads and leashes and their uses, check out this really great page on Ray Allen’s website. It’s very informative.
Cons of the RAM Nylon Adjustable Service Dog Leash with Frog Clip
I could go on and on about the reasons I love this leash, but the cons are really quite few. The first is that these leashes are heavy. One leash is 11.7 ounces, including the hardware. If you’re a backpacker, you know how painful this is, particularly because I’ve got two of them around my waist for a total extra weight penalty of 23.4 ounces. :) That said, the pros outweigh the cons (in the best way), and the peace of mind I’ve come to know while on trail with these leashes is worth every ounce. In fact, this past season I very nearly used a biothane double leash that is lighter weight and would have been far better in the wet weather conditions we encountered; however, at the last minute I changed my mind and went back to the RAM Nylon Adjustable Service Dog Leashes because, quite simply, I trust them.
The second con is that they’re nylon. Last season when we got hit with monsoon rains (and hail) on trail, these leashes got soaked. Not only did it make them heavier, but it made them wet and cold and really pretty uncomfortable to wear around my waist as such.
Those are honestly the only two cons I can think of after 5 years of use, and I can think of countless pros. It’s not easy to backpack with two big dogs, and I’m constantly looking for ways to simplify the experience. While these leashes are heavier than most, their versatility is what keeps me going back to them year after year. I know that if a dog was injured, I could carry them out with these leashes. If I ever suffered a fall somewhere in the mountains, I could disconnect a leash from my waist (assuming the dogs weren’t attached at the time!!) and potentially use it as an emergency rope. In many ways, I see these leashes as a part of my first aid / emergency kit.
I just finished a YouTube video about these leashes, as well as the RAM collars I use with my dogs. If you’d like to watch, you can do so by clicking below.
I hope you all are well. I know there's a lot of sickness going around. I, myself, am just recovering from a bout with bronchitis that kicked my butt for over a week.
If you have any questions about this gear, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I’ll do my best to help.
Take care, friends.