Home Insurance: Is Damage Caused by My Dog Covered?

Owning a home is a big responsibility, and so is owning a dog. While you protect your dog by making sure they don’t do anything bad or cause damage, you similarly protect your home with insurance in case anything unfortunate were to happen. With all this responsibility, you may ask yourself, “is damage caused by my dog to my home covered under a home insurance policy?”

Together, let’s take a look at this in more detail.

Home Insurance and Dogs

Per the Ontario Dog Owner’s Liability Act, dog owners are liable for damages caused by a bite or attack from their dog. If this were to happen in your home, the incident could be filed through your homeowner’s insurance to help you pay for damages such as medical expenses.

Ultimately, a dog is considered your responsibility in more ways than one, and many home insurance policies including our own do not cover dog-related damages. However, it’s still important to inform us if you have a dog, as your policy can protect you from liability if your pet were to bite or attack a person or other domestic animal inside your home.

Avoiding Dog-Related Damage to Your Home

Just like us, dogs can have bad days. While we might devour a pint of ice cream on the couch to destress, yours could potentially take it out on your home and belongings. All the chew toys in the world might not be enough to distract them from the allure of a wooden table leg, a soft cushion on the sofa, or even drywall. 

This can be especially challenging if you have a reactive dog that suffers from separation anxiety. Since your dog is meant to be a loyal companion, they can struggle when you leave the house without them and may take out their frustration on your home. Dogs with high energy or a love of chewing need outlets for their specific traits or they could become bored, upset, or stressed and, thus, destructive. Ensure your dog gets plenty of exercise so that, whenever they are inside, they are tired and less likely to misbehave.

One way to get around this is to provide your dog with plenty of options for toys, from stuffed and squeaky to chewy and durable (the latter, such as those made with hard rubber, are safer to avoid accidental ingestion or destruction). Try putting rubber or plastic toys in the freezer, which will make them harder to chew and engage dogs for longer periods of time.

Why Home Insurance Coverage is Still Essential

For many, the most expensive purchase they will make in their lifetime is a home. While owning one can be an uphill process with a growing list of to-dos to keep everything running at its best, events may occur that simply can’t be planned for. Homeowner’s insurance is a key factor in protecting your home and its contents from unforeseen circumstances as well as safeguarding you, the homeowner, from liabilities. This insurance is unique to each homeowner. Coverage for fire, theft, and natural disasters is a part of most plans. At Tanner Insurance, we can custom-tailor a policy that is right for you. By providing you with assurance and financial protection you can count on, we are happy to cover as many bases as we can when it comes to your home.

We are committed to providing dependable insurance solutions for homeowners and happy to address your concerns as a pet owner. This ensures peace of mind when it comes to many types of home emergencies. We support our customers’ needs and are happy to answer any questions you may have about our coverage options. Contact us to connect with one of our representatives today!