Walking the dog causes $50 million of injuries a year, scientists say
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Walking the dog is a happy chore for many people, but researchers have estimated that it is causing almost $50 million worth of hand and wrist injuries every year in the UK. Women and over-65s are most at risk of suffering these leash-related injuries, which a study published in the journal Injury Prevention cost £23 million ($48.23 million) a year. And the number of injuries has been rising as more people take up dog ownership. Dog walking could cause tens of millions of dollars of injuries every year. (Getty) Going over available evidence, researchers found 491,400 wrist or hand injuries had been sustained by dog walkers in the UK between 2012 and 2024. Finger fractures (31 per cent) were the most common injury, followed by wrist fractures (25 per cent), finger soft tissue injuries (just over 24 per cent) and wrist soft tissue injuries (17 per cent). Being pulled by a leash accounted for 68 per cent of the injuries, compared to tripping and falling (20 per cent), and getting tangled up in the leash (12 per cent). The authors did concede that walking a dog also offered many physical and cognitive benefits. "Although this review does not show dog-walking to be an outstanding risk factor for causing hand and wrist injuries within the adult population compared with all other causes, it does highlight a significant number of such injuries to be attributable to dog ownership, particularly in the elderly and female population," the researchers said. "Teaching safer leash-holding practices, such as holding the leash in the palm as opposed to finger or wrist wrapping, or leash choice, such as avoiding retractable devices that can lead to sudden increases in tensile force at the end of their working range, may be recommended." Dog obedience training may also be helpful, they add. dogs
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9 News
4 days ago
- 9 News
Walking the dog causes $50 million of injuries a year, scientists say
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Walking the dog is a happy chore for many people, but researchers have estimated that it is causing almost $50 million worth of hand and wrist injuries every year in the UK. Women and over-65s are most at risk of suffering these leash-related injuries, which a study published in the journal Injury Prevention cost £23 million ($48.23 million) a year. And the number of injuries has been rising as more people take up dog ownership. Dog walking could cause tens of millions of dollars of injuries every year. (Getty) Going over available evidence, researchers found 491,400 wrist or hand injuries had been sustained by dog walkers in the UK between 2012 and 2024. Finger fractures (31 per cent) were the most common injury, followed by wrist fractures (25 per cent), finger soft tissue injuries (just over 24 per cent) and wrist soft tissue injuries (17 per cent). Being pulled by a leash accounted for 68 per cent of the injuries, compared to tripping and falling (20 per cent), and getting tangled up in the leash (12 per cent). The authors did concede that walking a dog also offered many physical and cognitive benefits. "Although this review does not show dog-walking to be an outstanding risk factor for causing hand and wrist injuries within the adult population compared with all other causes, it does highlight a significant number of such injuries to be attributable to dog ownership, particularly in the elderly and female population," the researchers said. "Teaching safer leash-holding practices, such as holding the leash in the palm as opposed to finger or wrist wrapping, or leash choice, such as avoiding retractable devices that can lead to sudden increases in tensile force at the end of their working range, may be recommended." Dog obedience training may also be helpful, they add. dogs health Pets science UK World CONTACT US Auto news:Is this the next Subaru WRX? Mysterious performance car teased.
News.com.au
04-06-2025
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Richmond tweaks training to strike perfect fitness balance
Richmond has set 'a really clear plan' to strike the balance between preventing injuries and improving fitness in the back end of games. GWS ran over the top of the Tigers last week, kicking five unanswered goals in the final term to win by three points. It was Richmond's second loss by less than a kick in three matches after losing narrowly to North Melbourne in May. With such a young list, an acceleration of match fitness runs the risk of injuring the young players unconditioned to AFL loads. But Richmond coach Adem Yze said the Tigers and high performance manager Ben Serpell had implemented structures to boost fitness with less risk. 'Ben Serpell has set around whether they have a lighter week, I think Jonty Faull is having a lighter week this week and that was planned,' he said. 'We've set a really clear plan on their training loads throughout the year, obviously Josh (Smillie) and Sammy Lalor are having a break now because of injury. 'But if it does come to a point where they've played four, five, six games in a row, they will have a lighter week. 'We don't want them to be missing games, but we will just manage their program. It will just take time. 'Our big boys are playing on some quality defenders and they will be for the rest of the year. It's going to be hard to be consistent across four quarters, but that's what we're trying to fast-track.' Yze said there were no glaring trends from the second close loss, aside from failing to run out the entirety of the match. He took confidence out of the statistics that indicated a much closer contest in the last then the scoreboard suggested. 'Like I said post game, I would be worried if we just got smashed in clearance or inside 50s or couldn't get it out of our back end,' he said. 'On the weekend I think the last quarter was 15 inside 50s to 13. We had some opportunities, we just got a bit tired. 'A couple of younger boys we've noticed late in games are playing on really good defenders, like Sam Taylor's last quarter was enormous. 'We'll look at that, we'll help our younger boys through that, but it's going to take time. 'We're striving to play four-quarter footy. On the weekend we played 3½ and it wasn't good enough.'
9 News
04-06-2025
- 9 News
Councils want bigger fines for poor 'pet etiquette'
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Randwick City Council has submitted an application to the NSW government to review the Companion Animals Act 1998, saying they want bigger fines and harsher penalties for dog owners caught doing the wrong thing. The application refers to "irresponsible" dog owners, including actions like "off-leash dogs harassing children or wildlife" and "owners neglecting to pick up droppings." Two Sydney councils want stricter penalties for dog owners. (Getty) They say they've seen a significant increase in dog attacks, from 900 reported attacks in 2004 to over 5000 in 2024. "Submissions from our community highlight a need for clearer rules and etiquette to guide dog handling in shared spaces," the submission reads. "Key expectations include keeping dogs under control at all times, respecting other people and animals and cleaning up after pets. "Unfortunately, these common-sense practices are not universally observed." Cat owners aren't out of the woods either, with the application saying the council's goal is to "move toward a norm of responsible cat ownership" It says cats should not be allowed to "roam and threaten wildlife or cause a nuisance." The council recommended "significantly higher fines" for those caught doing the wrong thing, specifically in instances of a dog attack. In NSW, the maximum fine a council can issue is $330 for breaking off-leash walking rules, while the fine for not picking up after your dog is $275. Waverly Council is also considering making the change, arguing tougher penalties are needed, as well as advocating for dog owners to attend pet ownership training classes. has reached out to Waverly Council for comment. national New South Wales Sydney CONTACT US
