Animal husbandry – Animal controlling or handling – Hitching or tethering
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-07
2001-07-31
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Animal controlling or handling
Hitching or tethering
C119S769000, C119S799000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267081
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of animal restraint devices for small quadruped animals, and more particularly to a partially rigid slip leash that can be used to approach a potentially dangerous animal that may bite, without the need for the handler to place his or her hand in proximity to the animal's head to apply or release the leash.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Animal handlers in places such as veterinarian offices, zoos, pet shops, or animal shelters must approach animals many times a day to place a leash over their heads. The temperament of the animal is often not known. Some animals, such as dogs, trust their owners, but fear strangers. They can suddenly bite if a stranger approaches their head, particularly when they are in a strange environment. These dogs are known as fear aggressive dogs or fear biters. To their owners, they may never have shown aggressive behavior. The owner does not always understand if the animal handler approaches the animal in an apparent defensive position, and may be offended if the dog is handled defensively with the use of a restrictive device, such as a snare pole. The animal handler, on the other hand, must handle many potential fear biters per day, and over time there will be attempts to bite. Fear biters are unpredictable. Bite attempts will increase with noise and being in a strange place, as may occur in a veterinary office, with other people and frightened animals present and a lot of noisy activity.
In addition, fear aggressive dogs perceive any approach over their heads as a threat. As an animal handler reaches over or toward the animal's head, the risk of a bite increases. Approaching at eye lever or below is considered less of a threat. A traditional flexible leash
5
, as illustrated in prior art
FIG. 1
, is applied over the head with the loop hanging down from the hand
7
. This is when most dog bites occur. Frequently, the animal handler who senses a potential bite will toss the leash toward the head with a lasso motion so as not to get too close to the teeth. This sudden toss of a leash may frighten the animal and trigger a bite attempt.
Of course, public relations is another consideration. Oftentimes, the dog's owner will observe the action of the animal handler and may perceive the restraining method employed by the handler as excessive and unnecessary, and may be resentful. This resentment may result in the loss of a client, in the case of a veterinarian, or in negative publicity, in the case of a zoo or animal control agency.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,404, to McNicholl, discloses a double-action, two-way slip noose restraint device which allows the noose to be adjusted to either a restricted or an expanded configuration by pulling on opposite sides of the handle loop. This leash allows the release of the leash from the animal without the need to approach the head with one's hand, but has the disadvantage of not permitting the capture of the animal without approaching the top of the head or tossing the loop toward the animal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,491, to Cox, discloses a “FIG.-8” style animal leash which has a quick-adjusting ring and an adjustable stop button which regulates the size of the choke or noose portion of the leash. The body of the leash is constructed of slick plastic rope. As this leash is flexible, it requires the animal handler to closely approach the head and neck of an animal and this may cause a bite injury.
As noted above, animal control snares and poles are well known in the prior art for the control and release of dangerous animals. The snare pole is typically made of heavy metal which has metal cable at one end to catch the animal around the neck. They function effectively for their intended purpose, but when used in front of witnesses to an animal capture, may appear cruel and inhumane.
What is needed, therefore, is a safe and effective apparatus for restraining and controlling an animal which may be dangerous to the handler, either because of temperament or circumstances, but which is perceived by the animal's owner and the public as being comfortable for the animal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves many longstanding problems in the prior art by providing a slip leash for animals that can be brought about the head of an animal so as to allow the animal handler to stay at a safe distance from a dog, cat or other animal that may bite at the hands of the handler, and which may be applied slowly around the animal's neck, so as not to suddenly frighten the animal, as can occur with state of the art snap snares which are released quickly and close suddenly to capture the animal around the neck.
More particularly, in one aspect of the invention, a safety restraint and release leash is provided which comprises a head loop for engaging a portion of an animal in order to attach said leash to the animal. The head loop has an adjustable length so that the loop may be selectively varied in size, with a portion of the length of the head loop being rigid and a portion of the length of the head loop being flexible. The rigid portion functions to ensure that the head loop maintains a consistent size so that the head loop may be slowly placed over the head of the animal. The inventive leash further comprises a handle portion for gripping the leash and controlling the animal when the head loop is engaged with a portion of said animal.
In another aspect of the invention, a safety restraint and release leash is provided which comprises a head loop for engaging a portion of an animal in order to attach said leash to the animal, wherein the head loop has an adjustable length so that the loop may be selectively varied in size. The inventive leash further comprises a handle portion for gripping the leash and controlling the animal when the head loop is engaged with a portion of the animal, wherein the handle portion has a length and is rigid along a portion of its length, so that an animal handler can readily maintain a predetermined distance from the animal being engaged.
In still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a safety restraint and release leash which comprises an animal engaging portion having a length, a handle portion having a length, and an adjustment slide disposed between the animal engaging portion and the handle portion to inversely vary the respective lengths of each of the animal engaging and handle portions. Advantageously, a substantial portion of the length of at least one of the handle portion and the animal engaging portion is rigid, in order to permit the animal handler to maintain a safe distance from the animal's mouth at all times. Preferably, both a substantial portion of the length of the handle portion and a substantial portion of the length of the head loop portion are rigid, in order to both permit the animal handler to maintain a safe distance from the animal, and to also permit the handler to maintain a consistently sized head loop, which is not possible with totally flexible leashes, so that it is possible to slowly apply the leash to the animal.
In still another aspect of the invention, a safety restraint and release leash is provided which comprises an animal engaging portion having a length and a handle portion having a length. The animal engaging and handle portions are both adjustable in length relative to one another so that an animal may be engaged and released from the animal engaging portion by adjusting the length of the animal engaging portion to be shorter and longer, respectively. The inventive leash further comprises a pad disposed on the leash which is adapted to contact the head or neck of the animal when the animal is engaged by the animal engaging portion.
The invention, together with additional features and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying illustrative drawing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3872834 (1975-03-01), Fuhrman
patent: 3990404 (1976-11-01), McNicoll
patent: 4270491 (
Jordan Charles T.
Nelson Judith A.
Stout Donald E.
Stout, Uxa Buyan & Mullins, LLP
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