The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that every year, pets cause more than 86,000 Americans to fall with injuries. It’s no surprise that dogs are the biggest culprits, causing 88 percent of the injuries. The CDC based the estimates on data from 66 hospital emergency rooms.
“Many of [the injuries] occurred while people were walking their dog or chasing either their dog or cat,” said Judy Stevens, a CDC epidemiologist. “Over half the injuries with dogs were either falls or tripping over the pet or they were pushed or pulled by the pet.”
The CDC estimates about 9 percent of the falls are related to tripping over a toy or food bowl. “It’s not just the animals, but their toys,” said Bonnie Beaver, professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University. “We have little balls and stuff all over the floor. Those are easy to trip over, especially at night. You need to have a dog basket to put the toys in, or turn on the light before you go walking in the night.”
Psychologist and dog trainer Dr. William Doverspike said if people are tripping over dogs, the people are “the ones that need to get newspaper and hit themselves for not teaching the dog.” He recommends taking every dog to obedience training. “My opinion is that dogs are a lot happier and a lot more secure when they know what their handlers want,” he said. “The relationship is stronger when the dog knows what he needs to get treats and has lot more freedom.”
Story at CNN
