Mary A. Delaney
Introduction
Mary A. Delaney’s story is one that has fallen far from the history books, and even much of the internet. Her exact birth date, family members, and early life are for the large part unknown and unstudied, however there is much evidence around her invention, the retractable dog leash. Living in New York City, Delaney was a dog walker[1]. On January 12th, 1907, she filed a patent for the retractable dog leash following controversy over both strays and domesticated dogs within the urban sprawl[2]. There were an estimated 150,000 strays and another 200,000 domesticated dogs that roamed free in the city around this time[1]. They were seen to be menacing, unhinged creatures riddled with rabies and other diseases[1]. At the time, there was a 50-cent bounty for the termination of disease-ridden & unmuzzled pets. Although there were leash laws within the city, they were not strictly enforced[1].
Innovation and Impact
The original intent behind the design of the innovation was to prevent dogs from running into obstacles, such as lamp posts and other pedestrians.[2]. The problem with the existing leash design, which dates back to the Roman and Egyptian Empires, was that, when a dog would go around the wrong side of the post, they would often tear the leash away from the owner and be free from their grasp[3]. The benefit behind the retractable dog leash was that the owner could avoid these mishaps, while at the same time providing the dog more freedom while still on the leash. This invention changed pet ownership, creating a world in which people started to treat their dogs as children, coddling them and giving them freedom to grow[1]. It helped to wane this “menacing” stigma surrounding dogs, and made them more a part of humans’ day-to-day lives[1]
The innovation was intended for ladies, and was comprised of a “spring (that) automatically rotates the drum within the casing and winds up the chain or leash, thereby automatically preventing the leash from being entangled, and obviating the necessity of winding the leash about the owner’s hand.[2]” This inclination toward the ladies brought dogs into the home, emphasizing the nurturing nature of the mother. Dogs were no longer seen to be a nuisance and pest, but rather as a part of the family. The original patent was filed as a “leading device” and has been used in eight subsequent patents to date[4]. The invention was way ahead of its time, and didn’t gain real traction until the 1970s[4] when these stigmas surrounding dogs had all but faded into oblivion. We have seen innovations to her patent such as double-dog retractable leashes, retractable leashes with flashlights, and perhaps more obscure, retractable leashes for your actual children[1]. Yes, like the ones you see at Disneyland.
Conclusion
Now this all begs the question, why have we not heard about Mary A. Delaney? Why has her life been overlooked by historians, and why was it not documented at the time? This leads me to two potential causes. For one, she was a woman in a man’s world whose invention was not taken seriously for this exact reason. Additionally, domesticated animals were not treated the same way they are today, and her innovation was perhaps seen as unnecessary. And, although her innovation has taken form en masse, she still remains underrepresented.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Waldman, Katy (2014-06-10). "Follow Her Lead". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 US887072A, Delaney, Mary A., "Leading device", issued 1908-05-12
- ↑ "Women of Interest - Mary A. Delaney". The Voice. 2017-09-01. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 christin (2020-04-10). "Ditch Your Retractable Leash!". Creating Forever Dogs. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
This article "Mary A. Delaney" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Mary A. Delaney. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
