Dog-Related Injuries Cost Insurers More Than $1 Billion in 2022
Insurers paid out more than $1 billion in dog-related injury claims in 2022, a 28% increase over 2021 even though the number of claims decreased last year, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) and State Farm.
There were 17,597 dog-related injury claims in the U.S. in 2022, down from 17,989 in 2021, according to a Triple-I analysis of homeowners insurance claims data. Despite a 2.2% decline in the number of claims, the total cost of claims increased significantly — from $882 million in 2021 to $1.13 billion in 2022.
The average cost per claim was $64,555 in 2022, a 31.7% increase from $49,025 in 2021. Across the U.S., the average cost per claim rose 131.7% from 2013-2022 due to increased medical costs, as well as the size of settlements, judgments and jury awards given to plaintiffs, which are trending upward.
More than a third of the dog-related injury claims in 2022 were filed in five states: California (1,954 claims); Florida (1,331); Texas (1,017); New York (969) and Michigan (905). California also had the highest average cost per claim at $78,818, followed by Florida with an average cost of $78,203.
In 29 states, dog owners are liable for injuries caused by pets, with some exceptions, such as if the dog was provoked, according to a Triple-I analysis of dog bite laws compiled by the American Property Casualty Insurers Association as of March 2021. There are no laws for dog bites in four states — Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi and North Dakota.
Homeowners and renters insurance policies typically cover dog bite liability legal expenses up to limits typically between $100,000 and $300,000. Some insurance companies will not insure homeowners who own dogs categorized as dangerous. Others decide on a case-by-case basis, according to Triple-I. Pennsylvania and Michigan have laws that prohibit insurers from canceling or denying coverage to owners of particular dog breeds in some policies.
According to information compiled by Triple-I, about 69 million U.S. households own dogs. About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year — most of them children.