Jake and I love a good retractable leash. Our favorite brand? Flexi. They’re built to high standards, and the most durable and comfortable of the retractable leashes we’ve encountered over the years. In fact, we’ve had our Flexi leash for about 10 years now, and it’s still going strong. The problem is that it’s getting really whiffy. I’ve occasionally made the mistake of putting it away wet from rain and ocean encounters — and from leg-lifts gone astray. I periodically pull out the leash as far as it will extend and wash it and let it air dry, but lately I just can’t get it clean enough where I want to be in the same room with it.

So imagine my nose’s happiness when the people at Flexi USA contacted me to try out a new Flexi of my choice. I selected the Flexi Comfort All Belt, like the one above. Wow was it easy on the hand! It’s definitely the most hand-friendly retractable leash in my experience. But better yet, it was easy on the nose. As the distance between Jake and me got longer on our test walk, I wasn’t greeted by the usual “Oh my god, what is that stench?!” reaction as the leash extended. This is a keeper. My smelly old Flexi will be relegated to our earthquake kit, in a well-sealed plastic bag.

And now it’s your turn, Dogster fans! Flexi is giving three lucky dog-blog readers a leash of their choice! Here’s what you do (read carefully, because you have to follow all directions to be considered a viable entry): Go to Flexi’s product page and choose the style and size you would like if you win the contest. You can select from the Classic, Comfort, or Mini Leash styles. Then come back to this post and write a comment with 1) Why you would like a new Flexi and 2) Your choice of style and size. We at Dogster World Headquarters will select the winners based on a fun new method for us. We’ll randomly draw 20 qualifying entries. From those 20, our small judging panel will select the three whose reasons for wanting a Flexi we like best.

You must enter by 1 p.m. PDT next Wednesday, Oct. 6. Winners will be announced Friday, Oct. 8. One entry per household. Have fun, and good luck!