The cuddles. The loyalty. The worshipful eyes. There are lots of joys in having a dog, not the least of which is heading out for a brisk walk. And therein lies a peril some dog owners should pay more attention to.
Over the past two decades, injuries related to dog walking have been on the rise among adults and children in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers. Fractures, sprains and head trauma are among the most common.
From 2001 to 2020, the estimated number of adults seen at hospital accident and emergency departments for dog-walking injuries increased significantly, from 7,300 to 32,300 a year, lead researcher Ridge Maxson says.
Seventy five per cent of patients were women. Adults between the ages of 40 and 64 accounted for 47 per cent.