Your dog Spike just bit the little kid next door. Here come his parents and they are not happy, followed by their lawyer who is ecstatic.
This information is going to help you protect yourself from these worst case scenarios, and possibly protect your family from financial and emotional ruin should such a legal nightmare ever occur.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) man and woman's best friend bites more than 4.7 million people a year (1) and over 800,000 seek medical attention. Over half of these are children. Of those injured, 386,000 require treatment in emergency and around 12 die. According to one study conducted by the NIH(2), 45% of children had been bitten during their lifetime, most by neighbor dogs. The rate of dog bite injuries is highest for children between the ages of 5-9 years old. Almost two thirds of injuries among children ages four years and younger are to the head or neck region. (1)
I guess what I'm trying to say is: if you have a dog, there's a good chance it may bite someone during it's lifetime and that someone could be somebody's child. So why not consider the possibility and be prepared for just such an eventuality? Of course, in todays litigious society, a dog doesn't have to bite a child in order for you to be sued. Some people just have to spill hot coffee on themselves...ask McDonalds.
Keep Uncle Joe Happy
This may sound silly right now, but there are cases where dog bites have become infected and costs thousands of dollars to cure serious infections through emergency treatments. Children have lost eyesight and even their lives due to serious incidences with aggressive Dogs. Imagine Uncle Joe having to spend all that money because Fido decided to give him a good bite on the hand. Or maybe little 3 year old baby Jane was petting Spike on the head in a way he didn't like and got bit in the eye and emergency surgery was required to save her vision. Who is going to pay for the emergency medical expenses? Many a family has suffered serious emotional stress due to such tragedies and financial problems brought on by unforeseen pet problems. No one ever expects something like this to happen but when it does the financial and emotional strains can tear families apart. When insurance exists to help cover such costs at least the financial part is covered and this goes a long way toward and the afflicted party sees you cared enough to make sure they wouldn't have to pay for any such injuries.
Protect Yourself
Smart pet owners are proactive. Don't wait till disaster strikes to react and start looking for insurance and legal help. Remember Grandma's old saying: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are a few practical steps you weigh carefully to reduce the risks to you, your family and your pet;
# Spay/neuter virtually all dogs (this frequently reduces aggressive tendencies).
# Never leave infants or young children alone with any dog.
# Do not play aggressive games with your dog (e.g., wrestling).
# Properly socialize and train any dog entering the household. Teach the dog submissive behaviors (e.g., rolling over to expose abdomen and relinquishing food without growling).
# Immediately seek professional advice (e.g., from veterinarians, animal behaviorists, or responsible breeders) if the dog develops aggressive or undesirable behaviors.
#See if your homeowner policy covers your pet biting someone or damaging someone else's property. If not, start checking around for a policy that does or try to get coverage added.
So remember: getting sued is easy. There are enough problems and pressures in this life not to allow a dog bite incident to bring potential disaster to your family, your finances, your life. Take the necessary steps to protect yourself now so you will have peace of mind.
References
(1) Center for Disease Control Bite Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/biteprevention.htm
(2) Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - http://www.avma.org/reference/zoonosis/zndogcat.asp
(3) United States Postal Service - http://www.usps.com/communications/community/dogbite.htm
