The UK’s leading pet insurance provider, Petplan is encouraging dog-owners to consider taking out dog insurance, after figures released show a 500% increase in third-party insurance claims.
The recent report confirms the general consensus that Britons are more prepared than ever, to take pet owners to court to claim back damage costs.
In 2008, Petplan paid out almost £2million in liability claims for dogs alone, which represents a 500 percent increase in claims since 1999.
“One of the reasons we are seeing this escalation in third-party liability claims is because we are an increasingly litigious society,” says Alison Andrew of Petplan.
“The public in general are more aware of their legal recourse to recover damages when they feel they have been injured or aggrieved in some way. This reinforces the need for any dog owner to have a comprehensive insurance policy to help them defend a claim or pay damages awarded against them.”
Aside from third-party claims, a recent report published by UK insurance group, Saga Group Ltd claims the average annual UK vet bill is now £598 — double that of 2006, and they’re increasing at double the rate of inflation.
The benefits of good pet insurance now clearly outweighs the cost: a recent Which? report told us the average annual premium of insuring a non-pedigree dog is £200, or £286 for a pedigree, with an average excess of just £68.
Experts believe this is as clear a signal as ever, that pet owners need to consider insurance to stabalise the cost of pet ownership.
Andrew Goodsell, Executive Chairman of Saga Group Ltd, said: “As vet bills are vastly surpassing inflation, pet insurance is therefore a vital tool to help owners budget for unforeseen costs.”
However, we discovered that 90% of all animals in the UK remain uninsured against third party claims.
Your dog doesn’t have to have actually bitten someone for people to make a claim against you. Recent cases Petplan has dealt with include an incident where a border-collie chased a postman.
Although the dog did not cause any actual injury, in his rush to escape the postman fell over a low wall, injuring his back. Damages for personal injury, loss of earnings and the legal fees amounted to £60,000.
Pet owners across the country, are asking themselves, can they afford not to insure. What’s your view?
