By QITING WANG
Edward Duffin, the inventor of Alpha Leash and a mechanical engineer with a passion for always improving things, has been designing, researching and perfecting Alpha Leash for three years.
As a Beach resident living in an extremely dog-friendly community, Duffin has developed the Alpha Leash based on his own experiences dealing with the limitations of traditional retractable leashes.
He remembered taking his friend’s dog out with a regular retractable leash, but when the dog chased a squirrel he pressed the stop button and the dog was halted with a loud yelp by the jerk of the leash which can hurt the animal’s neck and owner’s shoulder or arm.
This resulted in Duffin coming up with a variable braking system for the retractable leash, which is now used in the Alpha Leash.
A new type of retractable leash, the Alpha Leash uses a bicycle brake system that prevents hard stops and controls how fast the owner slows the pet down.
“The variable braking system, depending on how hard you squeeze the trigger, will apply the brake to slow your pet down and bring them to a nice smooth stop.” said Duffin.
As an engineer, he has many years of experience in problem solving complex systems and issues. Duffin has conducted research and analysis on the safety of retractable leashes and said the data shows retractable pet leashes can prevent more than half of leash related injuries, which means they are not a safety hazard.
Duffin explained that the retraction mechanism allows the pet to move away from the owner freely, preventing accidental pulling. Moreover, it maintains the leash between the pet and its owner so that the leash is not on the ground and will not be a tripping hazard.
“Consumer and pet safety is the most important part of Alpha Leash’s design.” Duffin said.
For better safety precautions the design of the Alpha Leash has been improved in the security aspects, adding some useful features.
“There is a leash lock to fix it in place and the leash colour changes to red to warn you when the leash is about to run out.” Duffin said.
Additionally, the Alpha Leash is the same size and only weighs a hockey puck more than a regular retractable leash.
The small Alpha leash has the capacity to handle pets up to 26 pounds, while the large Alpha leash can handle dogs up to 110 pounds. The large version has a 26-foot leash length, while the small leash has 16 feet.
Duffin invites anyone to register now for a leash. Pre-orders, through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, will start in the next couple months with Alpha Leash deliveries planned for December 2023.
The pre-order will help pay for the tooling and equipment needed to manufacture the Alpha Leash, and by being an early supporter, people can take advantage of a discount and access to limited edition designs.
For more information about the Alpha Leash designs and how to register for a pre-order, please visit https://www.alphapetleash.com/
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