Dog Bite Liability and Your Homeowner’s Insurance

We all know that dogs make great companions, providing their masters with copious amounts of love and friendship. However, you can have a dog for years that seems to have a calm temperament and gets along pretty well with most people, and then it unexpectedly bites someone. In many cases, bites are the result of teasing or provocation and you may also wonder if you can you insure dog bites under insurance in South Florida.

Coverage for dog bites may be included in your homeowners insurance under liability. A lot of dogs bite their victims in the face and injuries may require extensive medical treatments or even surgery. Dog bite claims can also be very expensive. According to the Insurance Information Institute, dog bites accounted for more than one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claim dollars paid out in 2011, costing nearly $479 million. In fact, from 2003 to 2011, the cost of the average dog bite claim increased by 53.4 percent.

Dog owners should contact their insurance agent to see what coverage is available for dog bites or dog injury related issues. Trying to cover the financial responsibility of dog bites on your own without insurance can prove to be very costly.

For safety’s sake it is important as a dog owner to avoid leaving children and babies alone with dogs. No matter how well you think you know your family pet, you should consider removing your dog when visitors come, especially if visits include children or babies.  Socializing the dog and teaching it obedience may help to prevent dog bites from occurring, but statistics show it’s better to isolate them just case. Better to be safe than sorry. So check your insurance and see what coverage you have for dog bites or injuries. Your agent should be able to help you with this and explain your policy in more detail.