![]() In 2020, the total cost of claims paid by insurance companies for dog-related injuries increased by 7.1%, reaching $853.7 million, which is up from $796.8 million in 2019. When someone sustains a physical or psychological injury from a dog bite, they have the right to file a civil lawsuit in small claims court no matter how severe the injury, and irrregardless of whether any criminal charges are filed. Of them, 885,000 sustain injuries that are serious enough to require medical attention, and about 368,000 require treatment in hospital emergency rooms. Why do you need liability insurance for dogs?Īccording to the CDC, about 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year. Pet insurance vs liability insurance - what's the difference?.What dog breeds are excluded from liability coverage?.Why do you need liability insurance for dogs?.Use the links below to learn more about pet insurance vs liability insurance: In this post, we’re looking at the intersection of pet insurance and liability insurance, including how each policy works and why you need these types of dog insurance. If you are held financially responsible for someone else's injuries or property damage caused by your pet, then liability coverage can help pay for the cost - which could quickly add up to tens of thousands of dollars. That’s why dog liability insurance is a must for any responsible pet owner. Viewing your four-legged family member as a potential liability is difficult but sometimes, even the most harmless and best-behaved pets can make mistakes. Not only will you have a way to increase pet revenues but you will also have a new insurance liability policy to cover you if there is a future incident – regardless of that “lab-mix” breed.>Pet Insurance vs Pet Liability Insurance: What's The Difference? Responsible pet owners of higher-risk pet breeds will be grateful for the opportunity and they will gladly write a higher check than your average pet fees/pet rents/pet deposits. The data can even help you charge appropriate pet fees/pet rents/pet deposits commensurate with the associated risk. Moving ahead, all you need is a consistent pet screening process with relevant data about the pet and the pet owner to help make better acceptance decisions. Save yourself the headache and find a new insurance provider that will ultimately help expand your rental audience just by considering all pet breeds. You might be in violation of your insurance policy’s breed restrictions despite your very best efforts to try and follow it. I pose a simple, but poignant, question: Have you ever had an applicant who says their pet is a “lab-mix” breed? If so, then frankly and candidly, you have no idea if it’s 99% part of a restricted breed and 1% Labrador Retriever. Once you find an insurance provider that has no breed restrictions whatsoever, then not only will you have insurance that covers general liability for all breeds, but you can also alleviate your team’s efforts to try and self-police breeds. The practice of limiting your rental audience just because of your current insurance company’s pet breed restrictions can be easily overcome with some new insurance quotes and a new insurance provider. There are many insurance companies that do not have pet breed restrictions. This scenario alone gives real merit to reconsidering breed restrictions in your pet policy. Furthermore, you cannot charge any pet fees/pet rents/pet deposits because they are not pets but animals. ![]() If a reasonable accommodation request is submitted with the proper documentation, you cannot deny the request based on any breed. If you maintain pet breed restrictions then you might see an obvious correlation with your reasonable accommodation requests for assistance animals for many of these restricted breeds. Getting pet owners on the record about their care of their pet and their understanding of the management firm’s pet policies can not only help you make better decisions but it will also open your eyes and change hearts when considering high-risk breeds. I respectfully submit that I would rather take a pit bull with a very responsible and loving pet owner in lieu of a low-risk pet breed that also has a pet owner that has provided very clear indicators of not being a responsible pet owner or he/she did not favorably acknowledge my management firm’s general pet policies. They are ready to pay above average pet fees/pet rents/pet deposits, if necessary, because their pet is a part of their family. Rental applicants with high-risk breeds are well aware that they have an up-hill battle to fight as they seek a new home to rent. In fact, I know several pit bulls that are loving pets because they were raised by a very responsible and loving pet owner. It seems that most people agree, for example, that not all pit bulls are inherently bad.
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