Texas Ranked As 3rd Nation For Dog Bite Insurance Claims

Recently, the number of insurance claims by dog owners for biting has grown, and so has the cost of those claims.

“In some cases, the average cost of a dog bite claim has increased by 53% since 2014. That is a massive cost to homeowners,” Nick VinZant, senior research analyst for QuoteWizard, stated.

In 2021, there were around 1,000 claims for dog bites in Texas.
It forced insurance companies to pay more than $40 million, with the average cost of claims being $40,000.

And it doesn’t just affect them.

“If your dog bites someone, it could raise your rates, or they could drop your coverage entirely, ” VinZant stated. Insurance is not the only thing to worry about”.
“You need to be aware that your dog, although we love our animals and they are a part of our family, your dog is your property because you are responsible for it,” Allison O’Connor, spokesperson for the City of Temple, stated.

If the dog does bite someone, report it to yourself and right away to local animal services because there are things you should do that you do not want to wait on.
Things you can do include a mandatory 10-day quarantine at a vet, but Animal Services needs to be notified first.

“We recommend quarantining and just keeping your animal inside until Animal Services can come and chat with you and understand more of what happened in the situation,” O’Connor stated.Reporting the incident means your dog should be taken away. The quarantine can be done at home under some circumstances.

If the owner does not report it and the victim seeks medical treatment for the bite, doctors should report it themselves.

If the owner refuses to quarantine with a vet, you can be fined for every day out of quarantine.

Every situation is different and can have diverse outcomes, like criminal charges or legal affairs.