Animal Liability Insurance for Pets

Animal liability insurance is essential for pet owners to protect against potential liabilities arising from their pets’ actions.

While traditional policies primarily cover dogs and cats, it’s important to understand the scope and benefits of this insurance.

What is Animal Liability Insurance?

Animal Liability Insurance protects you in case your dog or other pets you own cause damages or injuries. This type of insurance provides third-party coverage, meaning it compensates others—not you or members of your household.

In addition to covering medical expenses or the cost of repairing or replacing damaged property, “dangerous dog” insurance also shields you if an injured party decides to sue.

Dog bites frequently lead to insurance claims, and without this coverage, you could be liable for substantial financial damages. As of 2024, the average cost per dog bite claim in the United States has risen to $64,555, up from $49,025 in 2021.

Your animal liability insurance policy can cover legal expenses and any amounts awarded by a court, up to the limits specified in your policy.

Types of Pets Our Animal Liability Insurance Solutions Can Cover

Animal Liability Insurance solutions are designed to cover a diverse range of pets and animals, ensuring comprehensive protection for owners in various situations:

• Any Dog Breed: Our coverage includes all breeds of dogs, offering protection to owners if their dog causes harm or damage to others. This ensures peace of mind regardless of the breed of your dog.
• Service Dogs and Animals: We provide insurance coverage for service animals that assist individuals with disabilities. This coverage extends to their essential service duties, protecting both the service animal and its handler.
• Narcotic Sniffers: Pets trained to detect narcotics can also be covered under our insurance policies. This coverage is essential for handlers and owners involved in activities related to narcotic detection, shielding them from potential liabilities.
• Guard Dogs: Our insurance covers guard dogs that are employed to protect properties or individuals. This ensures financial protection in cases involving aggression or defensive actions by the guard dog.
• Therapy Dogs and Animals: Coverage extends to therapy animals that provide emotional support in various settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, or schools. Our insurance protects these animals during their therapeutic activities, ensuring they can continue to provide comfort and support.
• Bomb Sniffers: Pets trained in detecting explosives are also included in our coverage. This is crucial for handlers and owners involved in bomb detection activities, offering financial security in case of incidents during detection operations.
• Dogs With a Bite History: Our insurance can cover dogs with a history of biting incidents. This coverage ensures that owners are protected if similar incidents occur in the future, providing financial assistance for legal expenses and potential damages.
• Emotional Support Dogs and Animals: We provide coverage for animals that serve as emotional support to individuals with mental health conditions. This includes protection during their role as emotional support providers, ensuring their owners are covered in various settings and situations.
• Breeds Considered “Dangerous”: Our insurance also covers breeds that are often classified as dangerous by regulatory authorities. This coverage is essential for owners of these breeds, protecting them against potential liabilities associated with their breed characteristics.

Our insurance policies are tailored to provide peace of mind to pet owners, covering legal expenses and potential damages up to the policy limits in case of accidents or incidents involving their pets.

Animal Liability Insurance Coverage includes:

• Third-party Bodily Injury Liability: This coverage protects you if your pet causes bodily injury to a third party. It ensures financial protection for medical expenses and related costs resulting from injuries caused by your pet.
• Third-party Property Damage Liability: This coverage protects you if your pet causes damage to someone else’s property. It covers the costs of repairing or replacing damaged property caused by your pet’s actions.

Having these coverages in place ensures that you are financially protected in case your pet unintentionally causes harm or damage to others, providing peace of mind and mitigating potential liabilities.

FAQ About Animal Liability Insurance

What does animal liability insurance not cover?

Animal liability insurance covers bodily injury and property damage to third parties. It does not cover damages your dog causes on your own property or injuries to you or members of your household. Additionally, expenses related to law enforcement-ordered impoundment of your animal, such as boarding and vaccination updates, are not covered. This insurance also does not function as pet health insurance.

As a landlord, how do I protect myself from a claim against my tenant’s animal?

You can protect yourself by being listed as an additional insured on your tenant’s animal liability policy. This extends coverage to you in case you are named in a lawsuit related to your tenant’s pet. This service is typically provided at no extra cost. Alternatively, you can consider an excess animal liability policy on top of your tenant’s coverage or explore a comprehensive TRU Umbrella solution for full protection. Learn more on our Animal Liability Insurance for Landlords page.

Is the animal liability coverage from my homeowners policy enough?

Many homeowners mistakenly assume their homeowners insurance covers injuries or damages caused by their pets. However, typical homeowners policies may have limited liability coverage for pet-related claims, often as low as $25,000 compared to general liability limits of $300,000 or more. Some policies may even exclude coverage for dogs with bite histories or breeds classified as “dangerous.” A dedicated animal liability insurance policy fills these gaps, providing adequate protection tailored to pet-related risks.

What are examples of “dangerous” dog breeds?

While any dog can potentially cause harm under certain circumstances, certain breeds are often associated with higher incidences of bites or aggressive behavior. Examples of dog breeds commonly considered “dangerous” include Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Great Danes, Siberian Huskies, Wolf Hybrids, Akitas, Chows, and Alaskan Malamutes. These breeds may pose higher risks due to their size, strength, or historical breeding purposes.

Do you cover exotic animals or poisonous reptiles?

Yes, we provide insurance solutions for exotic animals and poisonous reptiles where legal to own. Visit our Exotic Pet Liability Insurance page for more details.

Do you cover when my pet is with a sitter or walker?

Our policy covers your pet when it is under your care, custody, and control. Coverage extensions may be available with additional underwriting for situations involving sitters or walkers.

Can you list animal control as an additional insured?

Yes, we can list animal control as an additional insured at no extra charge. We will need the entity name and address to add them to the policy.

Is my rented or leased apartment covered for property damage if my pet damages it?

No, our policy does not cover first-party property damage to any location you own, use, rent, or occupy.

These FAQs aim to clarify the scope and limitations of animal liability insurance, ensuring pet owners understand the protections available and any potential exclusions.