To ask for your help solving my weird dog lead mystery?

[Doglead]

Name changed just because I’ll probably mention this in RL to someone or other because it’s really bugging me.
I train my dog in my front garden most days. I use two leads depending on what we’re doing. So I’ll clip one lead onto another to make it longer for sit/stay, un clip for heel work.
two days ago I must have left the 2nd lead out there by mistake.
takIng DDog out this morning and it was laid in the front lawn, I saw it immediately and it was very neatly chopped in two.

What could have done this? It’s bugging me because it’s too neat to be an animal (surely?). If it’s malicious, it’s pretty weird. Any ideas?

I don’t know… He’s chomped through his own harness before, which is pretty similar material. And cuts through poor Barry Bananas (photo for ref 🍌) in no time. I’m still leaning towards fox.

Foxes love a chew toy too, although apparently they usually steal shoes for that.

My money is also on fox, I've stupidly left things lying around (flat posh leather lead 'rope', riding crop, part of a webbing Zilco harness set..) around a stable yard and found them 'sliced' soooooo neatly... CCTV showed the culprits to be foxes each time. Their back teeth are super sharp and act exactly like scissors.

That’s really interesting. It definitely wasn’t DDog, she’s never outside unless we’re training.

I need to see a photo of your ddog before I can think about what happened. You’ve teased us with a back shot which is really unfair.

@WhoaJayShettybambalam Here is My Very Good Girl 😊

You need to get her a bigger chair.

Clearly a civilized dog who uses furniture so well wouldn't vandalise her lead.

Beautiful dog @Doglead
I showed the picture of the lead to a person I know who works with fabrics and they say the cut indicates that a sharp blade was used, rather like a guillotine would cut through thick paper, i.e., it wasn't cut with a pair of scissors.

Can't offer any suggestions, but 10/10 for the diagramme OP!

I've had "cuts" like that on a dog lead I've left in the garden and I'm pretty sure it was foxes. It only happened if the lead was left on the floor - when I remembered to hang it up in a tree it never happened. I've no idea how they bite it so cleanly but it had to be foxes.

@ErrolTheDragon I’ve tried. That’s HER chair 😆, she used to fit nicely
. I’m going to put the lead on the back and see if I can catch any foxes with it (back has security light).
It’s such a neat cut through a very thick lead though.

so it’s either foxes or a guillotine wielding dog hating maniac (or next doors but ones landscapers)

I don't think I've ever seen an animal chew that neatly through something so thick. Also, do foxes tend to chew random things like leads? (Well, as previous posters say they think foxes have chewed their leads, it seems they do chew random objects for no obvious reason!)

I'd assume a person had done it, though it's a strange thing to do, if there's no reason to believe a neighbour is annoyed by barking or seeing your dog left outside for brief periods. Possibly a bored child living nearby? Though it might require more hand strength than a younger child would have, so an older child or a teenager.

What big ears she has 😍

NDN I am joined to has 2 barkers
Somebody thinks the barking is coming from your house...

Gardening scissors. I can't remember their long name.

In my experience, anything that a fox has been near will STINK of fox piss. They piss on everything they come into contact with the dirty little f*ckers😂

I wouldn't be able to bear not knowing. I would have to approach the neighbour with Ring/CCTV, but I would approach them with great care in case they dunnit.

LOVE the diagram and your dog is gorgeous, OP.

She is seriously cute!

I don't know but what a gorgeous dog you have and a gorgeous garden!

Let your dog sniff the chewed/cut lead. She will be very interested if it was the fox that did it