Is Your Dog Covered by Your Home Insurance?

If you are wondering how homeowners insurance covers dogs, you are asking a great question. Your home insurance won’t cover the veterinarian bills or the loss of a dog. Your home insurance isn’t going to cover your favorite pillow if the dog chews it up. But, your home liability insurance might cover dog bites. 

Yes, we know. Your dog is small, cute and never bites. In fact, you have a dog that loves people. That’s great, but what about when your dog is ill? A person may not understand the situation and upon petting your dog, it bites the person because a sensitive area was scratched by mistake.  

It wasn’t your dog’s fault. But even so, you could be paying for medical bills, which can run from the easy treatment of $100 to thousands of dollars. Plus, if someone sues you, it could be extremely expensive. So, now is a good time to ask if your homeowners insurance has adequate liability coverage when it comes to dog bites. 

If you own a breed that’s known to be more aggressive than other dogs, you definitely need adequate liability coverage. 

After all, research tells us that every day, about 1,000 people need emergency care treatment for a dog bite. In fact, that same research tells us that certain breeds have a tendency to cause problems for owners. This group of dogs account for: 

• 81 percent of attacks resulting in bodily harm 

• 34 percent of attacks to children 

• 87 percent of attacks to adults 

In 2012, Forbes listed these dogs as risky for homeowners: 

Whether you own one of those dogs or another breed, it’s a good time to talk with an independent insurance agent about your liability insurance for dog bites and an umbrella policy that would provide more liability protection. If that person who got bit reacted and tripped on the sidewalk and fell, then there might be even higher medical bills. 

However, if you have taken the time now to make sure your homeowners liability is adequate for a dog bite, and if you have an umbrella policy, then you can rest easy knowing that you’re covered. 

So, why wait? Talk with an agent today.