User:Entr2301/sandbox

= Mary A. Delaney = Mary A. Delaney was an American inventor who was awarded a patent for a retractable dog leash in 1908. She was a resident of Manhattan and her invention has been cited in numerous other patents and used in many dog leashes today.

Biography
Not much is known about Mary Delaney except for what is written on her patent. She was a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and state of New York.

Invention
Her invention was an improvement upon previous leashes, by giving the leash the ability to change length. Her leash had a drum and a spring so that the chain could be let out based on the owner’s desire. Delaney invented this device because she thought it was annoying that the owner of a dog would have to constantly shift how they were holding a leash when the dog was running around a lamp post or other object. She also thought that dogs should always have enough room to run around, but that it should not be at the cost of the annoyance of the dog owner. Interestingly, Delaney specified that her invention was more fit for women, but did not explain why.

Impact on Other Inventions
Delaney’s retractable dog leash was a very useful design, and it was not long before another patent cited her work. Delaney’s design is still seen today and many different types of retractable leashes are available to be bought today.

Societal Impact
Stray dogs had been an issue for New York in the early 1900s, and only 6 years after Delany submitted her patent, New York introduced Dog Muzzling laws to try and decrease the amount of people that were getting bitten by dogs. During this time, New York did have leash laws, so owners would be required to keep their dogs on a leash while taking them on a walk. This is important, because New York had about 150,000 stray dogs and 200,000 dogs with homes. Additionally, New York relied on vigilantes to catch stray dogs, offering a bounty for any stray that people would bring in. With these laws in place, any dog found unattended could be accidentally killed.