We encourage dog owners to carefully review their homeowner’s policy renewal letters because a large number of insurance companies are adding exclusions to homeowner’s insurance polices concerning dogs or applying a “Canine Liability Endorsement” (which are riders that require an additional fee) to existent policies.
According to Wisconsin law, if a dog injures or bites a person the dog owner is liable for the full amount of damages caused by their pet. If an owner’s dog bites a person and the owner knew that his/her dog had previously bitten a person, the owner is now responsible for two times the full amount of damages caused by the dog. In the past, homeowner insurance policies generally provided coverage for this liability, but that is changing due to the increasing number of dog bites.
Please take note: if your insurance company adds an “exclusion,” that means your policy will not cover liability incurred by dog bites. Some insurance companies may apply the aforementioned “Canine Liability Endorsement” (a higher fee), but may notify you they will not provide liability coverage for specific breeds of dogs or for dogs with a prior history of biting.
If you do not receive a letter detailing proposed changes concerning your homeowner’s insurance policy, we encourage you to contact your insurance agent in order to be certain that your current homeowners’ policy includes coverage for dog bites.
