EL PASO, Texas -- On average each year, more than 86,000 people in the U.S. have to go to the hospital because they fell over their cat or dog, and that number includes people in the borderland.

At the El Paso Animal Emergency Center, veterinarian John Bruker hears all of the stories of people falling over their pets and getting hurt in the process. He sees two types of people that fall.

"The older people falling over their pets, is probably not that uncommon," said Bruker.

That usually happens with smaller cats and dogs.

"It's probably more likely the little pets that are bouncing around, you don't really see them, you step on them, they yelp and they cause you to stumble and get hurt that way," Bruker told KFOX.

And he also sees the young with injuries.

"Children running around, making noises that excite the big dog and the big dog chases after them," he said.

But then there are those that are not young or old, but still get hurt, like East El Pasoan Greg Trujillo.

"The malamute knocked me in the back of my leg once and catching myself from falling I dislocated my shoulder," said Trujillo.

His malamute weighs in at over 100 pounds.

"They weren't doing anything. He just walked behind me and just, I took a step back, and because he's so big he took me out," he said.

Trujillo said he loves his two big dogs, even if that love sometimes hurts.

"Was in a sling for about a month and it was pretty painful, but you know, he didn't do it on purpose," said Trujillo.

The study, conducted by the Center for Disease Control, said 88 percent of injuries were associated with dogs instead of cats, and women are two times as likely to be injured compared to men.