After I published a post about a collar and leash I bought from Stunt Puppy, I was contacted by Stunt Puppy’s Ken Goldman, who very kindly sent me a replacement leash. The Everyday Leash for Smaller Dogs arrived today, and here’s what I think: Once again, this is a well-made and well-designed product, but it too isn’t meant for a really small dog.

Extended to its full length of 64″, the Everyday Leash is certainly long enough to walk a dog Chloe’s size comfortably — don’t get me wrong. And it has the same leash clip, swivel head and sturdy construction that I admired in the Utility Leash.

However, it has two key features that are really meant for a bigger dog, and they are both neutralized when the leash is extended to its full length. The end loop that functions as a handle can be widened so that it clips around your waist, for hands-free walking or jogging. And there is a built-in loop down by the clip that you can grab in an emergency to haul your dog in close to you. Both are terrific ideas, and nicely executed, but widening the loop makes the leash too short for a small dog and by the time you reach down to the grab loop you might as well grab the dog herself.

Stunt Puppy knows all of this — in the course of our conversation, it became clear that my idea of “small dog” is about 20 lbs. smaller than Stunt Puppy’s idea of “small dog,” and that’s okay. I’m content with my replacement leash, even though I can’t use all of its features, and owners of dogs, say, 30 lbs. and up will be very happy with the Stunt Puppy product line. Goldman pointed me to two competitors who are making good-quality collars and leashes for very small dogs, which I thought was super-gracious of him. They are bark + biscuit and tazlab, and when I’ve had a chance to check out their products, I’ll report.