Injured dog walkers could be costing NHS £23m a year (news.sky.com)

submitted 4 days ago by HumanPenguin@feddit.uk to c/unitedkingdom@feddit.uk

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Ill sum this up. Research suggests Untrained dogs pulling causes more injuries than expected.

3/4 of injured are female and mostly over 65.

Opinion: 65+ year olds walking dogs are likely healthier than those not. So the 25m number may be rubbish.

But anyone reading this worried about a dog that pulls. The simple way to stop it.

Spend some time when every time the dog pulls harder than you like. Turn around and head the opposite way.

Dogs soon learn that pulling leads to failure to progress. Takes a few days for most dogs to learn. Then takes a rare reminder for the dog to remember you choose the direction, and it doesn't get to assume.

No need to tell the dog off or punish in any way. Just remind it when on the lead. Trying to direct you to move at its speed will always slow its progress.

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[-] OrlandoDoom@feddit.uk 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I'm not sure a license is the best way to go about it, but I certainly do think something needs to change.

I believe there should be some sort of minimum commitment to training if a person gets a new dog, i.e. you can have a puppy but you must have already booked up x amount of training sessions, and have vets appointments booked in.

And with cats, it'd like to see pre-booked appointments for neutering/spaying and microchipping, because apparently according to my neighbours, you can buy kittens, not do any of that and then just let them be feral around your neighbourhood and not really have to take care of them at all.

I'd actually like to see legislation on new cats not being let outside unless contained in a catio or something.

[-] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

according to my neighbours, you can buy kittens, not do any of that and then just let them be feral around your neighbourhood

Ignoreing the not having to care for them. And legally cats must be chipped now. But that is a very very recent rule change.

This is very much a majority opinion in the UK that cats kept inside is cruelty to the cat. Your opinion that all cats are required to be inside creatures is the rare one. More common in the younger generation. But not one backed up by evidence.

Bird deaths are the most common sighted evidence. But cats are not proven to be the cause of a change in total population. Cats have been in the UK at least since the Romans first arrival. So 2000+ years. And have been used as pest control on farms extensively since at least that period. Most UK bird species have come here via Europe where cats were for much longer. Urbanisation may mean more cats. But the expansion of humanity and removal of habitate is the real issue.

this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2025

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