Action 9: Retractable pet leashes to blame for injuries

CHARLOTTE — A woman says her dog leash broke her dog's leg.  Some say those leashes -- retractable ones -- can hurt you too, even cut off fingers.

Diane Coe says her puppy, Sugar Bear, a toy teddy bear poodle, moved a certain way and the leash wrapped around the puppy's leg the wrong way.  Coe says the leg broke in two spots.  "I never heard anything about it being dangerous," she said.  "I don't want anybody to go through this tragedy.  It was horrible."

But well-known groups have.  The ASPCA says watch out for burns, "cuts and even strangulation," not just to dogs, but humans. 

Consumer Reports cited a case in which a leash "looped" around a woman's "finger" and "cut it off."  Here, in Charlotte, the Humane Society warns people too.  When asked if, personally, he would buy a retractable leash for his dog, Huck Nawaz said, "I, personally, wouldn't."

Action 9 looked up federal injury numbers for the most recent year, 2013.  While it doesn't list leashes specifically, the government estimates more than 55,000 people went to emergency rooms because of injuries tied to pet supplies in general. 

A Consumer Reports study found more than 16,000 hospital visits related to leashes in one year alone.

Action 9 also saw at least one recall of retractable leashes.  Back in 2008, the SlyDog leash was said to "recoil back unexpectedly." 

If you still want a retractable leash, the best advice is to read all of the warnings.  For example, Flexi, one of the biggest names in retractable leashes, has all sorts of warnings on its website.