Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Insurance Companies Categorizing Dogs by Their Bite
It can be a touchy subject for dog owners and lovers, but some insurance companies are hesitant to cover homeowners who own certain types of dogs as they have a reputation for biting people and being aggressive. It is hard to argue with insurers as over 4.5 million people suffer from dog bites every year, with close to a million of them needing medical attention.
According to The Palm Beach Post, the cost of dog bites on insurance claims rose about 20 percent in America between 2003 and 2008.In fact, about a third of homeowners' liability claims are related to dog bites and it cost insurers close to $400 million in 2008 as over half the incidents took place on the dog owner's property.
Some insurance companies won't offer homeowners, condo, or renters policies to people who own dogs that are known to bite.
However, State Farm Insurance doesn't focus on the breed of a dog and ask dog owners to fill out a survey before they get coverage. The survey asks owners if their dog has ever bitten anybody and if so what was done about it to stop it from happening again. The company prefers to judge each individual dog instead of the whole breed as any type of dog can turn vicious.
However, many experts often blame a dog's behaviour on its owner and it's not fair to label a whole breed as being vicious. But most insurance companies don’t really care who is to blame as the average payout for a single dog bite is close to $24,500.This can reach as high as a $1 million depending on medical costs and jury awards as many attacks end up with the victim needing reconstructive surgery.
Other people argue the insurance companies are doing the right thing by banning breeds of dogs as they point out getting bitten by a Rottweiler is a lot more serious than being bitten by a Chihuahua.
