I just came across some hard numbers, which are a little surprising to me … Dog bites account for 1/3 of all homeowner insurance claims. (WOW!!) The report states there has been a 2% increase in # of claims, but an 11% increase is dollar amount attached to dog bite claims with the average cost of a claim hitting $37,051. Sheesh … medical costs have skyrocketed as of late, so it makes sense the costs of these claims would rise considerably as well. Last point of note … since 1990, the average cost per claim has risen more than 90% – includes costs, settlements, judgements and jury awards. We could spend hours discussing the various aspects of craziness that have made that last statement true – litigious society, medical cost upheaval, lack of responsibility … however, I am not sure that would really get us anywhere…
So, what can we do … (1) make sure you train your pets – I for one am HORRIBLE at training anything, but thankfully professional trainers are definitely available for hire, (2) keep pets that are jumpy or easily scared away from guests – I am sure we can all recall instances where we have unfairly responded when surprised or scared. It isn’t fair to put one’s pet in that situation either, (3) workplaces that allow dogs or animals on the premises can be even more liable for damages – Business owners, this is a good opportunity to double check your pets on premises policy.
As with most things, prevention and forethought can mitigate a lot of the risk.
