Dog Bite Claims: Insurers May Have a Bone to Pick

According to the most recent data from the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), the average cost per claim for dog bites has risen nearly 30 percent since 2003, despite the total number of claims submitted falling by two percent during the same time frame.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than half of the estimated 4.7 million dog bite injuries that occur annually happen on the dog owner's property, so it's no surprise that the issue has some hackles raised. With the average cost of a dog bite claim up to $24,840 in 2009 as reported by the I.I.I., the prospect of a bite is much worse than that of a bark.

Since the last report in 2008, the insurance liability costs have continued to rise to a total of $412 million, up an additional 6.4 percent from the previous year total value of $387.2 million. With value of claim totals like that, and a continuing trend upward, the issue is certainly nothing to bark at.