The Insurance Information Institute reported that in 2020, insurance companies paid $853.7 million for 16,991 dog bite and injury claims. While the number of dog bite insurance claims decreased 4.6% compared to the previous year, the amount paid for these claims increased 7.1%—a record high. The average claim payment was $50,245 in 2020, up 12.3% from $44,760 in 2019.
According to State Farm’s claim information, there were more dog bite insurance claims in March 2020 than in any other month last year, with a reported 21.6 percent increase in dog bites compared to March of the previous year.
Happy Dog, No Dog Bite
To avoid a dog bite and avoid filing a claim on your homeowner’s policy, the National Dog Bite Prevention Coalition recommends the following tips:
- – Make sure your pet is healthy. Not all illnesses and injuries are obvious, and dogs are more likely to bite if they are sick or in pain. If you haven’t been to the veterinarian in a while, schedule an appointment for a checkup to discuss your dog’s physical and behavioral health. Consider Vet Insurance to help cover the cost.
- – Take it slow. If your dog has only been interacting with your family this past year, don’t rush out into crowded areas or dog parks. Try to expose your dogs to new situations slowly and for short periods of time, arrange for low-stress interactions, and give plenty of praise and rewards for good behavior.
- – Educate yourself in positive training techniques and devote time to interact with your dog.
- – Get outside for leash training and allow your dog to do more socializing.
- – Gradually start arranging play dates with other dogs and people as allowed, and carefully increase the amounts of time and freedom together. This will help your dog get used to being with other canine companions again.
- – Be responsible about approaching other people’s pets. Ask permission from the owner before approaching a dog, and look for signs that the dog wants to interact with you. Sometimes dogs want to be left alone, and we need to recognize and respect that.
Credit: American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF)
Insurance Information Institute
If you want guidance in selecting the right policy for yourself or your pet, you can reach out to our team at Ashland Insurance online or give us a call!
541.482.0831 Ashland
541.857.0679 Medford