NEW YORK — The hugs. The loyalty. The adoring eyes. There’s have fun having a dognot the least of which is to take a brisk walk. And therein lies a danger that some dog lovers should pay more attention to.
Dog-walking-related injuries have increased among adults and children in the U.S. over the past 20 years, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Fractures, sprains and head trauma are among the most common.
From 2001 to 2020, the estimated number of adults seen in emergency rooms for dog-walking injuries increased significantly, from 7,300 to 32,300 per year, lead researcher Ridge Maxson told The Associated Press. Most patients were women (75%). General adults between the ages of 40 and 64 made up 47%.
And those are just the emergency department visits. “We know that a significant number of people will seek treatment for their injuries in primary care, specialty care or urgent care clinics,” Maxson said.
He noted that owning a dog is becoming increasingly common: about half of American households have at least one dog. The pandemic has contributed to the nail.
Staying safe while walking a dog on a leash requires dedication, focus, and, in bad weather, extra precautions. Multitasking can be dangerous. Put your phone away.
“You can’t really afford to relax when you’re walking a powerfully built dog with the force of a small tractor. You have to pay attention,” said Noel Holston, a dog owner in Athens, Georgia.
In the early 2000s, Holston was walking his 65-pound (29.4-kilogram) pit bull in a park near his home when a goose flapped and screamed. The dog darted down an embankment, yanking Holston, now 76, off the sidewalk.
“I was off balance and struggling to keep my balance. I stepped into a hole and heard my left ankle pop. The pain was so intense. I nearly passed out. My wife, Marty, had to flag down a jogger to help me back to our car. My left foot was dangling like a big wet noodle,” he said.
Susannah Johnston, 64, is a yoga instructor who runs a 40,000-member Facebook group for women focused on improving balance, strength and the body’s ability to absorb shock. She has injured herself three times over the years while walking her dog.
About five years ago, her 50-pound (22.6-kilogram) Lab mix chased a squirrel while Johnston knelt to stuff a sweatshirt into her backpack, the strap wrapped around one hand. She broke a finger.
“That was the worst part because it was twisted and pulled and I had to go through surgery and rehab and everything around it,” said Johnston, who lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.
Running with a dog on a leash is another danger, no matter how well trained you think a dog is. It is especially dangerous with a dog that is easily startled, very young, or prone to zoomies. That is what happened to Robert Godosky in Manhattan.
“We always had a habit of running the last block home,” he said. “There was a section of sidewalk that had scaffolding. My dog is a rescue dog and was relatively new to us. He got spooked and got in front of me, and I flew over the dog and hit the scaffolding. I ended up breaking two ribs.”
There are other dangers in rural areas, says Steven Haywood, an emergency room physician in Corinth, Mississippi.
“ Collision by vehicles“, he said. “That is absolutely the most life-threatening injury when people are walking their dogs.”
Areas like his have many roads without sidewalks or wide shoulders. This is especially dangerous when people wear dark clothing without reflectors or lights on people or animals.
“It’s something we see on a regular basis,” Haywood said.
In addition to lights and reflectors, there are other tools that can minimize risks when walking dogs:
Wear appropriate footwear with good soles in snow and ice. Consider wearing footwear with spikes or studs.
Maxson recommends using a six- to eight-foot non-retractable leash. “Longer leashes are more likely to get tangled around your legs and cause falls. Retractable leashes can sometimes make it harder to control your dog.”
In San Francisco, dog trainer Shoshi Parks recommends a no-pull harness with a leash that attaches to the dog’s chest instead of the back, she said. It gives the walker more control and puts less strain on the dog.
Parks suggests holding a line at your center of gravity, either at your torso, hip or thigh. Put your hand through the loop of a line and grab it slightly lower to hold on.
She calls retractable leashes a no go. Period. They can cause burns if held too close to the body as they rapidly extend or retract.
For people with mobility or balance issues, experts recommend seeking help walking a dog, especially in bad weather. For example, a neighbor, an older child, or a professional dog walker.
Johnston, Haywood and Maxson agreed that balance and strength training exercises, especially for older adults, can help reduce the risk of falls and fractures.
And they said that working with a dog trainer not only helps the dog, but also the dog walker, who can learn to read the body language of their pet better.
“Even young, healthy, strong people can have trouble controlling larger breeds that aren’t used to being walked on a leash. Any exercise that builds strength, that builds balance, will help,” Haywood said. “Make sure you have control of the dog you’re walking.”
___
Leanne Italie writes about wellness, culture and style. You can find her at http://twitter.com/litalie.