Pet Insurance – Personal Liability

Your pet dog could accidentally cause damage or injury which you could be liable for, you should therefore have pet insurance to protect yourself financially against personal liability.

With pet insurance, you may be covered for up to 2,000,000 per incident of personal liability to cover compensation or legal costs. You could face a personal liability claim for a variety of reasons: one main cause of personal liability could be if your dog causes bodily injury, death, illness or passes a disease to any person who is not in your employment or who is not a member of your family or household. You would also be held personally liable if your dog causes loss of or damage to property that does not belong to you.

If your pet is involved in an incident which means you could be liable for a claim, you should take action with your insurance company immediately. You should call your insurance company as soon as possible to give them full details of the incident, so be sure to keep an accurate record and even take photographs if possible. You will also have to send your pet insurance company copies of any court claim form, summons, letters of claim or other document as soon as you receive them.

During the incident, you should be sure not to admit any liability to the other parties. You should also not pay, offer to pay, or negotiate any claim without speaking to your insurance company or obtaining permission in writing. You may find that you are not actually at fault and offering money before the incident is settled could complicate the claims process.

If your dog is particularly boisterous, please ensure your dog is able to be covered by pet insurance in the first place. Some dogs, especially those registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act, may not be insurable under standard dog insurance, as they are deemed to be more at risk of causing injury. Many breeds of dogs can benefit from behavioural training; however, as it will encourage them to temper their enthusiasm and make them more relaxed around humans. You may find that your dog gets nervous around new people or new situations, which could cause them to behave erratically and cause personal injury to someone else.

If you take care of your pet dog with good pet insurance, you should be financially protected against personal liability in the future.