Many people have a tendency of not giving proper heed to dog bite insurance of their pet dog (or other forms of dog liability insurance) and service dog insurance. They see it as an unnecessary or wasteful cost and fail to comprehend that remaining averse to protection might lead to a huge hole in their pocket.
While dogs never tend to harm anyone, controlling an accident is not in anyone’s hand. Besides, dogs may fall ill like any other living being and the best you can do is to safeguard yourself financially against such unforeseen contingencies.
What is a service dog?
A service dog refers to a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person who is suffering from a mental or physical disability. Its primary objective is to help a disabled or troubled person to lead a normal life. A service dog is tutored thoroughly to take specific actions in order to assist a person with various disorders such as physical impairments, mental illness, or the ones who are in a dire need of emotional support. Apart from providing comfort with its presence, a service dog will resort to needful actions to ensure that his disabled owner is away from harm’s way.
Guide dogs are one of the most well-known dogs in the list of service dogs. They navigate people who have visual impairments inside their homes and also help them in reaching their destination when they are outside. Medical alert dogs are the ones that remind or alert the owner of their health issues such as low blood sugar or seizure. Then there are therapy dogs that provide services to deal with psychiatric disorders and they leave no stone unturned to stabilize the mental health of their owner. Their tasks include accompanying a person wherever they go, lighting up a dark room to reduce their depression, or availing themselves for affection.
There may be patients who are confined to wheelchairs and mobility service dogs discharge the duty of carrying them around with relative ease. The scope of service dogs is a continuing phenomenon, with their importance rising rapidly every day. Primarily, they are dogs at work and are not really considered as pets. Although there are many breeds that are involved in this process, the most common breeds which are coached to be service dogs are German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Saint Bernards.
Read about Large dog breeds and Small dog breeds!
Once the service dogs enter into a patient’s life to mitigate his woes, there is no turning back. They take very little time to build a strong rapport with such persons suffering from disabilities and become a part and parcel of their daily life. By putting their months of training into practice, service dogs provide facilities that are life-changing for their owners. A service dog is just pet dogs with expertise and will take no time to get along with any family which owns them.
What is service dog insurance?
Service dog insurance is a contract of indemnity which insures you against losses with respect to service dogs. To train them, months of training and an ample amount of investment are involved. They may be trained to be intelligent, work effectively, and keep their temperament well under control, they are still not invincible. Just like other pet dogs, even they can fall sick, get injured, or demand visits to a veterinarian.
While pet dogs cost around $100 to as much as $3,500, a service dog costs around $20,000 to $40,000 due to the expensive process through which they undergo for one to two years. The expenses pile up further when they suffer any injury or ill-health and this is where service dog liability insurance comes into the equation. More than anything else, this route should be resorted to out of your love for your service dog. If you love your dog enough, you will surely be inclined to have protection to meet its needs.
Further, due to the huge financial outlay involved initially and the dependency which patients have on them, it is always a good idea to go for service dog liability insurance. Not only will this cover the costs of contingencies but it will also enable the patients to get back to their daily routine sooner rather than later. There is a wide range of policies to ensure your service dog depending upon their breed or the expected problems they face. Therefore, it is advisable to undertake thorough research before committing to a policy.
What is dog liability insurance?
Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye and when the stars are not in your favor, sudden changes in the behavior of your dog might lead to disastrous outcomes. Dog liability insurance shields you financially against many losses your dog might cause. For example, your household pal might get off the leash while taking a stroll down the road and end up fighting with another dog or biting their owners. Owing to the same, the other party is seemingly likely to hold you accountable for their medical expenses.
Your dog might even damage someone else’s property in one way or another. Besides, you might even have to roll out a considerable sum of money if the injured owner decides to press charges. In such situations, liability insurance for your dog can save you from being burdened by their treatment costs. It is recommended for every dog owner to have an adequate amount of coverage for accidents which his dog might cause.
Before you bring in a pet, it should be your duty to check its history of aggression. If you have children at home, refrain from getting a pet dog that has an evil temperament. Spaying and neutering your buddy is also a rightful option to keep his mental and emotional stability in check. It goes without saying that socializing your pet dog could do wonders to avoid seeing your dog biting people or other dogs.
Dogs bite to protect their puppies, when they are threatened or when they are not feeling well. Irrespective of any reason which makes them take this drastic step, they are not to be taken casually. According to a report by the Canine Journal, a study by the Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) had revealed that roughly 4.7 million dog bites happen in the United States of America every year. Out of the same, around 80,000 people end up in health care facilities for treatments and these are some scary statistics which are bound to prompt you to go for insurance against dog bite or other damages that your pet dog could potentially cause.
Better safe than sorry, this has to be your mantra!
Leave a Reply