Dog bites on the rise..along with your home insurance - KEPR 19

TRI-CITIES, Wash. -- Dog bites are a serious issue here in the Tri-Cities. Not just as a risk to your safety, but also as a threat to your insurance rates. Even if you don't have a dog, an attack at your neighbor's house could raise your home insurance costs.

Big or small.. everyone has dog stories.

Natasha Schmidt tells KEPR, "I had an old neighbor dog attack my sister. It was terrifying."

But her sister's not blaming the dogs. She replies, "Dogs can be dogs.. They sometimes are aggressive."

And that aggression led to nearly 5,000 lawsuits filed in the Tri-Cities for last year alone. Since the increase in claims, and increase in liability.. Whether or not you have animals has become the first question insurance agents ask when considering your coverage.

American Family Insurance Agent, Josh Bruggeman explains, "Rottweilers, Pit bulls, Akitas.. Many insurance carriers including ours will not even offer home insurance to clients who have these breeds of dogs."

Dog bites are covered under most home insurance policies, but usually cap out between $1,000 and $5,000 for medical bills.
Claims against a dog on your property could cost you anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000 out of pocket. You could pay the price if someone else's dog bites someone in your yard.

Natasha Schmidt is a young homeowner who also has five dogs.
She thinks it's not fair to discriminate against a breed of dog, charging homeowners more to have that type or denying them coverage.

She says, "Any dog can have an issue, I mean there's golden retrievers that bite."

Bruggeman replies, "They tell me the small ankle biter dogs are just as vicious as your Pitbull or Rottweiler.. Um, we haven't seen that."

Don't be fooled into thinking a warning sign will keep you out of a claim. And don't bet on an agent looking to get to know your dog before writing a policy.

Bruggeman continues, "The classic phrase, my dog wouldn't hurt a soul. Maybe not, but it's the one incident that escalates..."

Natasha says she's not taking any chances with her dogs costing her money. She explains, "She can open her mouth and everything, but I have total control over her head."

That control needs to be a first priority, so that you're not the target of a lawsuit. Because there were more than ten-thousand dog bite claims filed last year in the state..insurance agents often track where these bites are happening. If they find a number of attacks in one neighborhood, your rates could be affected even if you don't own a dog since there's a chance a vicious dog could end up on your property. Generally, the first dog bite may not be used against you, but expect that your insurance agent will monitor your policy for any more.