Pet Liability Insurance for Dog Owners: What It Covers Beyond Bites
Your dog spots a squirrel on an evening walk and lunges for it just as a jogger passes. The jogger swerves, catches a foot on the curb, and fractures a wrist. Because your dog’s lunge caused the fall, the jogger can file a claim against you for the medical bills, even though no biting was involved.
Pet liability insurance covers incidents like the jogger’s fall, along with bites. A standalone canine liability policy pays when your dog injures someone or damages property, whether or not a bite happens.
What Pet Liability Insurance Covers Beyond Bites
The Insurance Information Institute notes that its dog bite claims figures include other dog-related injuries, such as fractures and blunt force trauma. Injuries like a jogger’s broken wrist lead to claims against dog owners. Before you buy coverage, read the policy’s exclusions. If the policy excludes injuries that don’t involve a bite, a fall or scratch could leave you paying the bill yourself.
A canine liability policy like the one offered by Dog Bite Quote covers bites and the following incident types:
- Scratches: Your dog jumps up on a toddler at a sidewalk cafe and scratches her cheek.
- Scares: Your dog charges a guest at a neighbor’s barbecue, and she backs into a glass table.
- Knock-down falls: Your 90-pound Lab barrels into a hiker, who breaks his hip.
- Property damage: Your dog digs up a neighbor’s vegetable garden.
- Injuries to other domestic animals: A dog park scuffle leaves another dog with a torn ear.
Any incident on that list can turn into a claim against you. When one does, the policy pays the injured person’s medical bills or the other owner’s vet fees. If the person sues, the policy also pays your legal fees and any settlement, up to your policy limit. Canine liability coverage for homeowners and renters follows your dog off your property, to trails, parks, and neighbors’ yards. Coverage also applies while your dog stays with a groomer or doggy day care.
Where Pet Liability Coverage Stops
The policy doesn’t pay for three things: injuries to your relatives, your own dog’s vet care, and claim costs above your limit.
Canine liability coverage pays for injuries to people outside your family, such as guests, friends, and neighbors. Relatives fall outside its coverage, so if your dog knocks down your brother-in-law, you pay his medical bills yourself. The policy also won’t pay for your own dog’s vet care. If your dog comes out of that dog park scuffle with a cut paw, you pay for the stitches.
The third exclusion comes from the limit you choose: $25,000, $50,000, $100,000, or $300,000. Dog Bite Quote reports that the average claim costs $80,000 to close. A claim that size would exceed the $25,000 limit by $55,000 and the $50,000 limit by $30,000. You would owe that difference out of pocket. To keep an $80,000 claim inside your coverage, you would need the $100,000 or $300,000 limit. The policy carries no deductible, so you pay nothing before coverage starts. Your limit also factors into what canine liability insurance costs, so weigh the protection against the premium.
Pet Liability FAQ
Is pet liability insurance the same as pet insurance?
No. Pet insurance helps cover your own dog’s veterinary expenses, including treatment for unexpected injuries and illnesses. Some policies also offer optional coverage for routine and preventive care. Pet liability insurance pays when your dog injures another person or animal or damages someone’s property. Since each policy pays for different losses, one can’t replace the other.
Can I get pet liability coverage if my dog has bitten someone before?
A past bite doesn’t automatically rule your dog out. Dog Bite Quote reviews every dog. When your dog has a bite history, the online quote asks additional questions about the circumstances of each incident. Your answers help Dog Bite Quote decide whether it can offer coverage.
Cover the Dog You Walk Every Day
Your dog’s lunge at that squirrel involved no bite, yet it still left a jogger with a broken wrist and you with the claim. Pet liability insurance covers falls, scratches, and damaged gardens, as well as bites, anywhere in the United States. Get your free quote, and pick the limit that fits the dog at the other end of your leash. The quote carries no obligation to buy.
About the Author
Debbie Turner is the president of Florida-based Dean Insurance Agency, where she has spent more than three decades specializing in canine liability insurance. Driven by a deep passion for dogs and a strong understanding of their behavior, she developed the Canine Liability Insurance Policy (formerly known as F.I.D.O.) to help protect dog owners from unexpected risks. Since founding the agency in 1994, Debbie has helped issue thousands of policies nationwide, offering coverage for all breeds and supporting responsible pet ownership. Dean Insurance is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and serves clients across the U.S., except Alaska and Kentucky.
About Dog Bite Quote
At Dean Insurance Agency, we’ve been providing protection to dog owners since 2012, with more than 10,000 policies issued. Our underwriting criteria and years of experience providing this coverage enable us to offer competitive and fair policy premiums. Our policies are available in every state except Alaska and Kentucky. The quote is free, and there is NO obligation to purchase!