The cuddles, the loyalty, and the worshipful eyes—there’s a lot of joy in having a dog, one of which is heading out for a brisk walk. But therein lies a peril that some dog owners should pay more attention to.
Over the past 20 years, injuries related to dog walking have been on the rise among adults and children in the U.S., according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Fractures, sprains, and head trauma are among the most common injuries. From 2001 to 2020, the estimated number of adults seen at emergency departments for dog-walking injuries increased significantly, from 7,300 to 32,300 a year, lead researcher Ridge Maxson reported. Most patients were women (75%), and adults between the ages of 40 and 64 accounted for 47%.
And that’s just emergency room visits. “We know that a significant number of people might seek treatment at primary care, specialty, or urgent care clinics for their injuries,” Maxson explained. Dog ownership has become increasingly common, with about half of U.S. households having at least one dog, a trend accelerated by the pandemic.
Staying safe when walking a leashed dog requires diligence, focus, and extra precautions during inclement weather. Multitasking can be hazardous—put your phone away. “You can’t really afford to relax when you walk a powerfully built dog with the torque of a small tractor. You have to pay attention,” said Noel Holston, a dog owner in Athens, Georgia.
Holston recalls an incident from the early 2000s when he was walking his 65-pound pit bull in a park near his home. A goose flapped and squawked, causing the dog to bolt down an embankment, yanking the now 76-year-old Holston off the sidewalk. “Off balance and struggling to keep my footing, I stepped into a hole and heard my left ankle snap. The pain was so intense. I almost passed out. My wife, Marty, had to hail a jogger to help get me back to our car. My left foot was dangling like a big wet noodle,” he said.
Susannah Johnston, 64, a yoga instructor who runs a 40,000-member Facebook group for women aimed at improving balance, strength, and a body’s ability to absorb impact, has been injured three times while dog walking. About five years ago, her 50-pound lab mix went after a squirrel while Johnston was kneeling to tuck a sweatshirt into her backpack, the leash wrapped around one hand. She fractured a finger. “That was the worst because it was twisted and pulled and I had to have surgery and rehab and everything else,” said Johnston, who lives in New York’s Croton-on-Hudson.
Running with a leashed dog also poses a hazard, no matter how well trained you think the dog is. It’s especially dangerous with a dog that’s easily spooked, very young, or prone to the zoomies. That’s what happened to Robert Godosky in Manhattan. “We used to be in a routine of sort of running the last block home,” he said. “There was a section of sidewalk that had scaffolding up. My dog is a rescue dog and was relatively new to us. He got spooked and got in front of me, and I went flying over the dog and smacked into the scaffolding. I ended up breaking two ribs.”
There are other hazards in rural areas. Steven Haywood, an ER doctor in Corinth, Mississippi, notes that being struck by vehicles is a significant threat. Many rural roads lack sidewalks or wide shoulders, which is especially hazardous when people wear dark clothing without reflectors or lights on themselves or their dogs. “It’s something we see on a regular basis,” Haywood said.
To minimize dog-walking risks, appropriate gear is essential. Wear suitable footwear with decent treads in snow and ice, and consider spikes or studs. Maxson suggests using a non-retractable leash of 6 to 8 feet. “Longer leashes are more likely to get tangled around your legs and cause falls. Retractable leashes can sometimes make your dog more difficult to control.”
In San Francisco, dog trainer Shoshi Parks recommends a no-pull harness with a leash clipped to a dog’s chest rather than their back, offering the walker more control and less strain on the dog. Parks also advises holding a leash at your center of gravity—near your torso, hip, or thigh—and slipping your hand through the loop to maintain a firm grip. She discourages the use of retractable leashes due to the risk of burns if they lengthen or retract quickly.
For those with mobility or balance issues, experts recommend seeking help walking a dog, especially in bad weather. A neighbor, older child, or professional dog walker can be invaluable. Johnston, Haywood, and Maxson agree that balance and strength-training exercises, particularly for older adults, can help reduce the risk of falls and fractures. Working with a dog trainer can benefit both the dog and the walker by teaching them to read their pet’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.”
