Hats off to all of our fellow dog owners out there, and those of us that would do just about anything for our beloved furry companions. That includes waking up at hours when we’d much rather sleep in, cleaning up messes at the most inconvenient of times, and building up a tolerance for stubborn dog hair in our wardrobes and furniture—no judgement, we get it!
We do it all out of love. And it’s important to know how our pets factor into our home insurance policies, so we wanted to answer the questions you really want to ask.
Most commonly, when dog owners think of insurance they are typically thinking about health-centered pet insurance. However, your dog is legally considered your “property” that can, unfortunately, come with a fair amount of liability exposure if you’re not careful.
For that reason dog bites usually fall under the purview of your personal liability insurance, which is really a part of your home insurance policy.
It’s because of this liability exposure that makes it important to advise your insurance broker or company of the fact that you have a dog. You may want to take a closer look at your liability coverage limits to understand what exactly is covered in your policy. You might need higher limits to cover the legal costs if your dog bites someone.
The Ontario Dog Owner’s Liability Act specifies that as the dog owner you are “strictly responsible” for all acts of your dog, even if you’re unaware of an incident or tried to prevent the incident from occurring at the time.
Either way, if your dog injures someone, that person may be eligible to collect compensation for:
That’s why it can get a little risky to own dogs not covered by insurance, especially if you’ve bought a particularly aggressive breed.
Wherever you fall on the debate about dog breeds, some may be considered too aggressive for certain insurance companies on the market. Always double-check your policy if you have (or are thinking about getting) one of these breeds:
If you have one of the dog breeds that homeowners insurance won’t cover, then it may be time to find a policy that does (and we can help you with that).
According to the Dog Owners’ Liability Act of 1990, owners are strictly responsible for the actions of their dogs. That means owners will need to bear full financial responsibility if their dogs cause injury or damage to others.
Most of Canada upholds the “one bite rule,” which means that you and your dog could be let off the hook for a bite that came out of nowhere, or if the dog has no history of biting or being aggressive.
You also need to consider these things in any situation involving dog bites:
It’s important to understand these mitigating factors because your liability for the dog’s actions can extend to the person supervising the dog at the time, including:
Here are a few things we can keep in mind to help reduce the chances of an unwanted situation happening between our dogs and others:
Get a fresh home insurance quote in just 3 minutes, including your furry friend. It could make a big difference in your coverage and peace of mind!