FILE – Susannah Johnston, of Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., walks her dog Ellie on Sept. in Norfolk, Conn. Johnston, a fit yoga instructor and strength trainer, has been injured three times in incidents involving walking her dog. (Vincent Cohan via AP)
Over the past 20 years, injuries related to dog walking have been on the rise among adults and children in the U.S., Johns Hopkins University researchers say.
The most common kinds of injuries include broken bones, sprains and head trauma.
From to, the estimated number of adults treated for dog-walking injuries at emergency departments increased from to a year. That comes from lead researcher Ridge Maxson who spoke to the Associated Press.
Of those patients, 75 percent were women. Forty-seven percent were adults between ages 40 and 64.
But that information is only for visits to emergency rooms. Maxson said many people might seek treatment at other healthcare centers for their injuries, including at primary care, specialty or urgent care clinics.
He noted that dog ownership has become increasingly common in the United States with about half of households having at least one dog.
Other ways to protect yourself
For people with problems balancing or moving around, experts suggest seeking help walking a dog, especially in bad weather. Helpers could include a neighbor, an older child or a professional dog walker.
Haywood and Maxson agreed that balance and strength-training exercises, especially for older adults, can help decrease the risk of falls and broken bones.
And they said working with a dog trainer helps not only the dog but the walker, who can learn to read their dog’s body language better.
Even young, healthy, strong people may have difficulty controlling larger breeds that aren’t used to walking on a leash. Any exercise to give strength, give balance, is going to help,” Haywood said. “Make sure you can control the dog that you’re walking.
Leanne Italie reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.