Just a Dog Podcast · Episode 42 · October 27, 2026 · 14 min
Off Lead | Gentle Leader
A puppy with hair growing on his eyeball, a stranger with 21 dogs at home, and a loop of nylon called a gentle leader all turn up in this Off Lead episode. You’ll hear what the vet told the puppy’s guardian about the only way to fix his eye, the news story I came across the same day that made me think twice about 21 dogs in one home, and why an Oxford professor’s research on friendship has me wondering how many dogs one person can properly know. I also answer your messages after my 2-part conversation with Stan Airey, including the practice in the dog world that sends chills down my spine. Then I read my story, Gentle Leader, about a puppy on my street who keeps trying to paw a loop of nylon off his nose, I share the story of who made money from the first head collars, and the one word guardians give me every time I ask why their dog wears one. What I talk about in this episode: The French bulldog puppy with hair growing on his eye The man with 21 dogs, and the news story it led me to How many dogs one person can really get to know Your messages after Stan's episode My story, Gentle Leader Key takeaways: A 2020 study of 123 cases found a significant link between French bulldogs and ocular dermoids, a patch of skin on the eye that can grow hair. The RSPCA responded to 4,200 incidents in 2025 involving 10 or more animals at one address in England and Wales, up 70% since 2021. In a Myerscough College study , 62% of dogs tried to get their head collar off. Sources: Congenital ocular malformations in dogs and cats: 123 cases, Veterinary Ophthalmology, 2020 RSPCA: Twenty one dogs and a cat found living in filthy crates in Cumbria, 8 October 2026 RSPCA: A multi-animal welfare image is so shocking that it was thought to be generated by AI, 12 May 2026 Live Science: Are humans limited to 150 friends?, 16 October 2022 The Company of Animals: Product family guide, 2023 dvm360: R.K. Anderson, inventor of Gentle Leader, dies at 90, 2012 Justia Patents: US patent 4941313, Regents of the University of Minnesota, 1990 University of Minnesota Archives: CENSHARE records, 2007 Dogs Today Magazine: Headcollar vs harness, which is better for our dogs’ welfare?, 2020 The thoughts and observations in Off Lead are my own. I use AI to help me write faster, but the ideas are mine.