Insurance and Dog Bites

Dogs make great companions, playmates, and protectors; they also continue to be a problem for insurers. Nearly two million people are bitten by dogs each year, with around 800,000 persons requiring professional medical treatment for their wounds. Each of these incidents is a potential lawsuit.

Have Teeth, Will Bite

Nearly 40% of America’s households own dogs, and biting incidents keep climbing. A key factor contributing to these incidents is the failure of dog owners to supervise and train their pets. Another problem is that many persons, especially children, do not know how to behave around dogs. Bites may occur when:

• a person stares at a dog, which the animal perceives as a threat or challenge
• people attempt to handle dogs during sensitive moments (while a dog is trying to eat or while nursing puppies)
• trespassers or house guests invade a dog's territory
• someone is "rough-housing" with a dog and it escalates beyond playing

Factors on Dog Bite Fatalities

In December 2013, a study was completed by The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA). It shared information on factors found in a large majority of reported fatalities caused by dog attacks. In most fatal incidents, several of the following factors were involved:

• • No able-bodied person being present to intervene (87.1%)
• • The victim having no familiar relationship with the dog(s) (85.2%)
• • The dog(s) owner failing to neuter/spay the dog(s) (84.4%)
• • A victim’s compromised ability, whether based on age or physical condition, to manage their interactions with the dog(s) (77.4%)
• • The owner keeping dog(s) as resident dog(s), rather than as family pet(s) (76.2%)
• • The owner’s prior mismanagement of the dog(s) (37.5%)
• • The owner’s abuse or neglect of dog(s) (21.1%)

Please see part 2 of this article, which discusses how insurers approach this source of loss.

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