SAFETY AND PRECAUTION

Perils of Pet Ownership: The Dreaded Fall

It happened to me, and it can happen to you

It was a perfect sunny morning. Mojo the dog and I were returning from a brisk, one-mile jaunt. Moe was behaving well — no lurching at cats, no insolent glares at scampering squirrels. No Bucky Buckingham antics.

But as we headed into the cove I noticed our neighbor’s small pooch playing contentedly in her front yard. Off-leash.

Instinctively I wrapped Moe’s leash tighter around my left wrist, praying neither dog would notice the other.

But, nope.

Within seconds the tiny yapper tore out of her yard making a furious beeline for Mojo, who is at least ten times bigger and heavier. As I tried to yank Moe back, the two barked hysterically at each other, both standing on two legs.

Meanwhile, as Moe circled and jumped, I became wrapped from shoulder to feet in his long leash. My neighbor galloped to the scene, arms flapping, as he tried unsuccessfully to break up the two sparring canines.

Suddenly Mojo leapt forward in one last desperate lunge to get at the little pup, and drug me down hard on the pavement. Now there were two dogs fighting on top of me and I knew at this moment all was not well.

As the cove filled with worried neighbors — and as Michael rushed out the door to see what was going on — the two were separated and marched to their respective backyards. Neither dog was hurt, and the only lingering evidence of the brawl was a few big white chunks of Moe’s fur littering the pavement.

I, however, was not in good shape, at all. I had reinjured my already banged-up back and was unable to determine if the intense pain in my right upper leg was a broken femur or hip.

Shortly after arriving at St. Francis Hospital via ambulance, I was x-rayed and given the bad news. It was indeed a fractured hip, and the next morning I was pinned together again. I was put on physical therapy for six weeks and was told full recovery could take as long as a year.

Bullshit! It’s been well over two years, poor Mojo is in doggy-heaven, and I’m still suffering the aftermath of that fateful day. Michael’s massages, gentle yoga, and even more physical therapy haven’t resolved the pain issues, and I now walk with a slight limp. No more high heels for me, ever again.

According to the CDC, dog walking injuries are on the rise. The most at-risk population are women aged between 65 and 75. Information gathered from ER databases across the nation reported that 90% of pet-related falls were treated in the emergency room, and the most common injuries were hip fractures, broken wrists and elbows, and upper arm fractures.

A study published in the Journal of Safety echoed the CDC’s finding and added that dogs are typically more of a fall hazard than cats and that women were twice more likely to get injured than men.

The study also mentioned most fall injuries were associated with being pulled or pushed by dogs, tripping over your pet’s food dishes, and falling over their toys. Most injuries attributed to cats occurred when people ran after them.

Every study, however, emphasized the health benefits of pet ownership as well. Although they can cause us to sustain injuries, the benefits outweigh the hazards. People can shed unwanted pounds by dog walking; they can lower your blood pressure, and the simple act of walking your dog opens up opportunities for socialization.

What we need to do to protect ourselves from fall hazards with pets is to exercise extreme caution. Several articles mention ditching retractable leashes as they tend to give dogs more control over their walkers.

Shorter leashes are better. Always wear sensible walking shoes — no flip-flops or going barefoot. And never — as I stupidly did — wrap your dog’s leash around your wrist.

The most consistent advice I read was to take your dog to obedience school so that the two of you can work and walk together as a team.

And most importantly, walk your dog — don’t let your dog walk you.

If you love fun, true cat and dog stories — and others on a full range of interesting, sometimes quirky but hopefully entertaining topics, please follow me on Medium at https://medium.com/@deborah.camp