--- title: Dogs Are Great for Your Health. But There's a Little-Known Risk of Owning One description: Having a dog is good for your health. But new research presents a little-known risk of dog ownership and dog-walking in seniors: fractures. canonical: https://time.com/5543478/dog-walking-fractures/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-03-06T16:20:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T00:39:07.000Z article:section: Health og:title: Dogs Are Great for Your Health. But There's a Little-Known Risk of Owning One og:description: Balance the benefits with the risks og:url: https://time.com/5543478/dog-walking-fractures/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e5001a333246c15/6989464e22fb8512d8e27e50/dog-walking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 7360 og:image:height: 4140 og:image:alt: Odin the Puppy on a Walk og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Dogs Are Great for Your Health. But There's a Little-Known Risk of Owning One twitter:description: Balance the benefits with the risks twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e5001a333246c15/6989464e22fb8512d8e27e50/dog-walking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Dogs Are Great for Your Health. But There's a Little-Known Risk of Owning One > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:39 AM UTCPublished: Mar 6, 2019 4:20 PM UTC  Various angles of a Saint Bernard Puppy Various angles of a Saint Bernard Puppy Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:39 AM UTCPublished: Mar 6, 2019 4:20 PM UTC The health benefits of having a pet — especially a dog — are well-established. Dog owners have been [shown to live longer, healthier lives](http://time.com/5028171/health-benefits-owning-dog/) than people without pups, in part because caring for a dog encourages physical activity. And pets of all types have been shown to [lower their owners’ stress levels](http://time.com/94581/7-ways-pets-improve-your-health/) and [improve their mental health](http://time.com/4728315/science-says-pet-good-for-mental-health/). But [a new research letter](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2727125?guestAccessKey=3eb95062-58ae-4981-a093-57cfc0708647&utm%5Fsource=JAMA%20Network&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=ftm%5Flinks&utm%5Fcontent=tfl&utm%5Fterm=030619) published in _JAMA Surgery_ offers a look at a potential downside of pet ownership. Among older adults, fractures linked to dog-walking are surprisingly common and growing more frequent, according to the research. Researchers examined data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which logs injuries reported by patients visiting a nationally representative group of 100 U.S. hospital emergency rooms. In 2004, almost 1,700 adults ages 65 and older went to the emergency room for fractures related to walking leashed dogs, they found. By 2017, that number had risen to almost 4,500. Fractures can occur as the result of falls or dogs lunging while they’re leashed, the authors write — and they have some ideas about why the numbers have shot up since 2004\. Dr. Jaimo Ahn, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, says the reasons behind the uptick are likely positive, even if the end result — more injuries — is not. “People intuitively know many of the benefits of animal companionship,” Ahn wrote in an email to TIME. “Not surprisingly, pet ownership has increased over time, including [among the elderly](https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/07/17/1047437/0/en/United-States-Pet-Population-and-Ownership-Trends-Report-2017-Focus-on-Dogs-Cats-and-Other-Pets.html), who are living longer and taking efforts to live healthier — all good things.” Still, the research suggests that the risks of pet ownership shouldn’t be ignored, especially for older adults. Almost 30% of the injured seniors in the paper were admitted to the hospital, and nearly 20% suffered hip fractures. This type of fracture is “associated with long-term decreases in quality of life and functional capabilities, as well as mortality rates approaching 30%,” the authors write. “As we get older, we should consider both the risks and benefits of the physical activity we desire and make sure we’re safely and thoughtfully up for the challenge,” Ahn says. Dog-walking offers seniors a valuable opportunity to assess — and, if necessary, improve — their own strength, walking ability and overall well-being, he says, as well as their dog’s behavior. “There are so many [benefits from pet ownership](http://time.com/3960787/best-pets-health/), but just like everything else, there are negatives to potentially consider,” Ahn says. **Correction, March 29** _The original version of this story misstated the year in which the study began. 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