Should Retractable Dog Leashes Be Illegal in the Hudson Valley

I'm not a dog owner, but found this article pretty interesting as someone who lives in a neighborhood with quite a few dogs.

According to dogtime.com, those retractable leashes that you see everyone using are dangerous not only for dogs, but for us humans too.  The article explains

A dog at the end of a retractable leash can get far enough away from their human to get into trouble–able to run into the street or to make uninvited contact with other dogs and people. If your dog is on a retractable leash and approached by an aggressive dog, it’s hard to get control of the situation.

 

When a retractable leash cord breaks, it can cause injury – often to the human at the other end. If the human grabs the cord in an attempt to reel in their dog, serious injuries can follow. People who have instinctively grabbed the cord have suffered burns, cuts, and even immediate amputation of a finger. Many people have been pulled off of their feet by a dog that reaches the end of the cord and keeps going. When this happens, or if you get tangled up in the leash, it frequently means a fall and “road rash” scrapes, bumps, bruises, broken bones, or worse.

Dogtime isn't alone in this claim, as there's been quite a few stories covering the leashes and the safety concerns.  In fact, in Lakewood Ohio it is illegal to have your pup on a retractable leash and they recently had a facebook live discussion about the law.

What do you think - should they be allowed, do you use one, have you, or your dog, ever had any issues with a retractable leash?