Oh, No!!! Dog Bites and Homeowners Insurance Protection
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June 14, 2006
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That was my reaction after I saw my dog chase my neighbor into their house and their guest around his car twice, just two weeks after getting my dog. After rounding up my dog, I apologized to the neighbors profusely and immediately began scouring the "Net" to look for obedience training classes/techniques.
Australian Shepherds are known to be a very intelligent breed and was told that training them would be very easy prior to taking ownership. After trying different obedience training techniques and getting some positive results to getting my dog to sit/stay/come, as well as getting him acclimated to my neighborhood, I thought that it would be ok to let him roam in front of my house (off leash) while I was doing yard work. Needless to say, he found himself getting into a situation where he nipped at another neighbor. Nipping enough to break the skin and leading to my neighbor to go to the local Urgent Care to get treated for a "dog bite".
My neighbor arrived home and immediately asked me if the dog vaccinations were updated and if I had Renter/Homeowners insurance. I told him that the dog was caught up with his shots, but told him that I did not have this type of insurance. I didn't even know that dog bites were covered under these types of policies. Needless to say, I was worried beyond belief of any legal repercussions, fortunately for me I had a pretty good relationship with the neighbor and nothing came of it.
Well, I have Renters/Homeowners insurance today. I couldn't imagine not having it due to the unpredictable nature of my dog.
After reading the article "Dog Bites: The $1 Billion Problem" and reading that there were $1 billion dollars in claims in 1998 alone, I thought it best to write my experience. The article points out Dog Bite Liability as well as Preventing bites that would be a good read for any dog owner. The article pointed out how Homeowners are financially liable for dog bites. Most homeowners and renters policies provide $100,000 to $300,000 in coverage for liability claims. However, anything over the policy limit is the homeowner's responsibility. Further, once a dog has bitten someone, it poses an increased bite risk. A survey among insurance companies showed that 70% of insurers would not renew a homeowner's policy after one dog bite.
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I am looking for an insurance company that will cover my home in Wisconsin. Our puggle pinched a lady a couple days ago. She did not sustain any real damage, treated the bruise herself and is not suing us. She did file a police report. I was not thinking and called my insurance company. They are now dropping me unless we put the dog down or give him away. I have only been able to find one company that will insure our house if we keep the dog and they will NOT cover any dog related incidents. They are asking $1300 a year for such a policy. I am currently paying $500 a year so have no idea why they get an extra $800 for a policy that does not provide any liability for dog bites. If anyone knows of a company that would write a policy for us, I would be very greatful. I sure don't want to pony up $1300 a year, but may have to.
Scott