Dog Bites & Homeowners Insurance: What You Need to Know
Dealing with a dog bite incident is incredibly stressful, but taking the right steps immediately will protect both the injured party and your insurance coverage.
From an insurance and risk management perspective, here is exactly what you need to do if your dog bites someone:
1. Prioritize Medical Care & Safety First
- Treat the Injury: Your absolute first priority is ensuring the injured person receives prompt medical attention. Clean the wound immediately, and call 911 or head to urgent care if necessary. Puncture wounds from dogs carry a very high risk of infection.
- Secure Your Dog: Safely move your dog to a secure, quiet room or crate away from the scene to prevent any further incident or escalating tension.
- Provide Vaccination Records: Be prepared to provide the victim with proof of your dog’s current rabies vaccination.
2. Document Absolutely Everything
Insurance adjusters rely heavily on hard evidence. While the details are fresh, gather the following information:
- Photos: Safely take clear photographs of the injuries, the exact location where the incident occurred, any torn clothing, and any broken leashes or damaged property.
- Witness Information: If anyone else saw what happened, write down their names and phone numbers.
- Write a Timeline: Jot down a detailed description of what happened immediately before, during, and after the bite as soon after the incident as you can. Include details like whether the dog was leashed, if the person approached the dog, or if there was any accidental provocation. Did you ask people not to touch your pet? If so, please document.
3. Notify Your Insurance Agent ASAP
- Report It Immediately: Contact your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance provider to file a report as soon as possible. Do not wait to see if the victim is going to sue or demand payment; waiting too long can jeopardize your coverage.
- Understand Your Coverage: Most standard homeowner’s or renter’s policies include liability coverage that helps pay for the victim’s medical expenses, your legal defense fees if a lawsuit is filed, and settlements up to your policy’s limit.
What to Expect Next with Your Policy
Once a dog bite claim is filed, your insurance company will look at the details to determine their future risk. Depending on your carrier, the severity of the bite, or your dog’s breed, the insurance company may choose to:
- Increase your premium at renewal time.
- Require you to sign a liability waiver excluding that specific dog from future liability coverage.
- Issue a non-renewal notice for your entire policy, meaning you will need to find a specialized carrier or a separate animal liability policy.
If you’re dealing with a specific situation right now, call your agent directly. They can look up your specific liability limits and walk you through the process. There will likely be some local laws that you may need to look into as well.