In reviewing pet sitter insurance claims over the last 5 years, dog bite claims continue to be the loss leader in terms of severity. The average cost of a dog bite claim runs between $25,000-$30,000, but can run significantly higher depending on the injuries sustained by the victim(s) involved and actual specifics of the individual claims. These claims costs have been on the rise for the last several years, primarily due to increased medical costs, as well as increases in settlements/judgements/jury awards. So for this briefing, I would like to give some examples of the types of claims we have seen over the years as well as some recommendations on how to avoid these claims from occuring in your business.
For pet sitters, there does appear to be some similarities in the types of dog bite claims that have occurred. The following is percentage breakdown (and number) of the 5 most common types of occurrences we have seen over last 5 years:
- Bites to joggers/walkers while sitter is walking client's dog - 51% (37)
- Bites involving third party attempting to separate dogs at a park/dog park/street, etc. - 14% (10)
- Bites to children who attempted to pet or hug dog - 10% (7)
- Bites to neighbors of sitter's clients - 8% (6)
- Bites to mailmen and various contractors - 8% (6)
As you can see by far the most frequent type of dog bite claim occurs when the sitter is walking a dog on a public street. Claims vary from joggers running up from behind and walkers coming too close when passing from the opposite direction (see claim #7) to dogs attacking people standing still. Since walking the client's dog is a must, the best advice I can give to avoid these types of claims is to be aware of your surroundings/others around you (joggers/walker/other dogs). If possible, walk dogs on less crowded streets or walking trails at times when there is less foot traffic. If you must walk on busy streets/trails, always maintain control of the dog via short leash and be extremely careful if using a retractable one. Please note it is your resposibility to keep the dog away from others, so if a pet is known to be aggressive please be sure to be proactive in letting others know to keep away if they approach and wish to pet the dog.