But, stick your hand in the middle of a group of snarling dogs, and prepare to be injured. That is what happened to the Texas woman. And who knew that some dogs and cats carry capnocytophaga canimorsus, a bacteria that, if it enters the bloodstream, can result in death in as little as 48 hours. The woman survived, but she is a triple amputee; both legs and one arm were removed to save her life. As the owner of a dog who bites someone else, you will have a vested interest in that person recovering as quickly and as completely as possible. If the bite victim admits that he won’t seek professional medical attention, perhaps because of a lack of health insurance, you may want to consider contributing financially to permit quick treatment of the injury, depending on the circumstances. Once your dog has bitten the person or pet of another, there is no point in trying to avoid responsibility, advises Dr. Christopher J. Allen, a veterinarian and attorney. “Stepping up and demonstrating genuine compassion for the injured party is a much more effective strategy. First, it is simply the right thing to do. Second, it is the best legal strategy,” said Dr. Allen. Trade detailed identification information immediately. Dr. Allen also advises maintaining readily available and up-to-date vaccination records. “It’s bad enough having your dog bite someone in public. It’s even worse having your dog hauled off to animal services because you can’t get your hands on proof of vaccination. And heaven forbid your dog should bite somebody, say, on the Friday of a Monday holiday weekend. If you cannot produce proof of rabies vaccination, and your veterinarian is closed for the holiday, you don’t even want to imagine the liability should the victim have to begin anti-rabies treatment,” says Dr. Allen. Finally, consider purchasing a low-cost dog bite liability insurance policy. If you think your homeowner’s policy or renter’s insurance policy covers dog bites, you might want to check again. Recently, insurance companies have grown increasingly leery of insuring animal liability and have started excluding it altogether from homeowner’s policies. In Florida, you should be aware that Citizens Property Insurance specifically excludes dog bite coverage. For as little as $75 per year per dog, a dog bite liability policy limits can range from $50,000 to $100,000. The Covered Canine Policy, written through the Federation of Insured Dog Owners, Inc. (F.I.D.O.) does not exclude any breed from liability coverage. It also has an option that extends coverage if a dog bite occurs away from the policy holder’s home. To find out what a policy would cost you, visit the website www.DogBiteQuote.com for a free, no obligation estimate. Or call Debbie Turner at 407.865.7477 for more information. U
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