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Dog insurance is a general term used to relate to several different types of insurance which all relate to doggies.
There are a variety of different dog insurance policies to cover people such as dog owners, landlords, renters, and dog experts such as dog trainers, dog groomers, and dog walkers.
So, what is dog insurance?
The most popular categories of dog insurance include dog homeowners insurance, umbrella liability insurance, canine liability insurance, dog health insurance, dog dental insurance, dog life insurance, dog travel insurance, dog walker liability insurance, dog grooming insurance, dog trainer insurance, landlord’s dog insurance, tenant’s dog insurance (see links below for more detailed information).
As you can see from the list above there are a lot of different dog insurance policies available. If you are just starting your research please feel free to visit the links on this page for more information.
Introduction to dog insurance categories:
What is Dog Insurance for Homeowners?
If you, as a dog owner, have homeowners liability insurance there is a good chance it includes dog homeowners insurance.
This is to cover your liability for what your dog may do. Most states in the United States place liability on the dog owner for its behavior, this includes dog bites.
If your dog bites someone and they sue you, then you will most likely be held responsible for it.
If someone sues you for a dog bite it could end up costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars if you don’t have liability insurance cover. The situation is usually worse if your dog bites a child.
Therefore you must check with your insurer whether your dog is covered under your homeowner’s insurance.
The reason it is so important to check the status of your coverage with your insurance company is that some homeowners insurance excludes liability for dogs. It is also important for you to check whether your insurer covers your breed of dog. Most insurance companies have a list of Dangerous Breeds and this varies between companies. If your homeowner’s insurance does not cover your dog you should think about canine liability insurance.
So when you ask yourself, what is dog insurance for a homeowner? it usually means making sure you are covered for liability whether it be under your homeowner’s insurance or one of the other policies following.
What is Dog Insurance as it Relates to Umbrella Liability Insurance?
If your homeowner liability insurance does not cover your dog then one of the options may be to obtain umbrella liability insurance. You usually need to have another policy such as homeowners or auto of a certain value of cover and then you can purchase umbrella liability insurance on top of this to cover extra things like dogs. Your insurance company can let you know if this is an option for you.
What is Dog Insurance about Canine Liability Insurance?
Canine liability insurance is usually a stand-alone policy that is used by people who cannot otherwise get liability cover for their dog either because they don’t have homeowners insurance that covers dogs, or they don’t have a valid primary insurance policy to qualify for umbrella liability coverage their dog is on the Dangerous Breeds list and they can’t get it covered.
Canine liability insurance tends to be more expensive but it is usually not prohibitive. You may find there are restrictions like only being able to cover your dog for liability up to $100,000 or there may be other requirements such as proof of dog obedience training.
What is Dog Insurance concerning Dog Professionals?
If you are working with dogs professionally either training, grooming, or walking them then it is necessary to have some liability insurance to cover your business activities.
What is Dog Insurance as Related to Dog Health?
Dog health insurance is a policy to cover the veterinary expenses for your dog in case of accident, illness, or injury,
There are usually different levels of cover available, and each policy will depend on different conditions relating to specific breeds, and whether your dog has a hereditary condition. The age of your dog is also a factor, if your dog is too old when you try to insure it the first time you may find it difficult to obtain dog health insurance.
Similarly, dog dental insurance covers the costs of dental problems. Most dog health insurance plans do not cover dental and this requires separate insurance cover.
What is Dog Insurance for Dog Breeders?
If your dog is a source of income from breeding or you own a show dog then you may want to consider life insurance for dogs.
What is Dog Insurance for Travelers?
Dog travel insurance is sometimes included in dog health insurance. Dog travel insurance is important if you are traveling away from home and your dog gets sick and you need to know whether your insurance allows you to take him to a vet outside your state or even out of the country.
What is dog insurance for a Landlord?
If you are a landlord and you are renting your property to a dog owner, you may consider landlord insurance that includes dog liability cover to protect you against any claims for dog bites etc.
What is dog insurance for a Tenant?
If you rent and you are a dog owner you should make sure your renter’s insurance includes dog liability cover. Even if your landlord has landlord’s dog liability insurance this only protects the landlord from being sued. If your dog bites someone it is most likely that you as the dog owner will be the one sued. If your renter’s insurance does not cover dog liability insurance then you could consider canine liability insurance.
Even if you only know a little bit about the different types of dog insurance available, you are armed with enough knowledge to get on the phone and speak with your insurance company or agent.
Instead of asking yourself What is Dog Insurance, it is time to start thinking about Which Dog Insurance?
