Women more likely to be injured while walking a leashed dog

Women and older adults are more likely to sustain serious injuries — including fractures and head trauma — than other adults while walking a leashed dog, a new analysis suggests.

The study, published online April 14, 2023, by Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, used data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Researchers learned that nearly 423,000 adults sought treatment in emergency rooms from 2001 to 2020 for injuries sustained while walking a leashed dog. About half were people ages 40 to 64, while 75% were women. Most injuries resulted from falling after being pulled by, tangled in, or tripped by the leash connected to the dog. But women with dog-walking injuries were 50% more likely than men to sustain a broken bone. Meanwhile, adults 65 and older were more than three times as likely as younger adults to experience a fall, twice as likely to suffer a broken bone, and 60% more likely sustain a head injury (such as concussion).

Since more than half of American households own at least one dog, it's wise to be aware that dog walking can be risky. Despite the findings, however, the researchers strongly encouraged people to leash their dogs wherever legally required.

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