All pet owners should know that they are at risk of exposure to serious liability issues should your pet injure someone – regardless of whose “fault” it was. We all know how most things work this days, and if you don’t want to deal with someone who would be happy to file a lawsuit against you because of your pet, then you might wanna take a look at the following Insurance policies offered to pet owners nowadays:
DOG BITE CLAIMS
FYI dog bite claims totaled $479 million in 2011. I know that that’s BIG money. You have to know that average payout was about $29,000 per claim. Statistics show that the cost of dog bite claims rose 53.4 percent between 2003 and 2011. And I can tell you that these numbers are still rising. So if you dont want to get yourself in debt, and if you think that your dog might bite, then you should consider this issue seriously.
DANGEROUS BREEDS AND BAD DOGS
But like everything else, the insurance companies had to exclude “dangerous breeds and bad dogs” from their insurance packages. It all started back in the 1980s, just when pet ownership was on the rise, “bad dogs” were in the press, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report on dog bites that implicated certain breeds.
“The list includes the usual suspects. Which means Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Chow Chows, German Shepherds, Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, Doberman Pinschers, Presa Canario, Akitas, Great Danes, and Wolf-hybrids are typically excluded. And what is most ridiculous is the fact that some of these carriers also have a mutt test for your pet. This way they can figure out at what % your pet’s damage can be covered.
WHAT SHOULD PET OWNERS DO?
You should take things one by one. First you should consult with your Vet, and figure out what breed do you actually have, and how % pure is that breed. Then you should contact with your agent and clarify everything that has to do with your dog. Make sure that your dog does not get involved in the “excluded list” and only then should you study what does your insurance plan covers. And if you don’t feel happy with the numbers you have, then you should get out there, dig deeper, and find yourself the best Insurance Policy that exists.
Source: Petplace