If you are a pet owner, no matter what kind of pets you have, you know that sometimes your pets will need to visit a veterinarian. You might have purchased pet insurance to help with the (often expensive) cost of the medical care your pet needs. Have you also purchased liability insurance on your pet? Some lawmakers in Texas want to require all dog owners to buy a pet liability insurance policy. This has brought up some controversy.
There is a piece of common sense that anyone who owns a pet soon comes to realize. Pets, just like humans, do get sick from time to time. Pets can get injured, although we all hope that never happens to our beloved, four-footed, furry, “children”. People purchase pet insurance to help with the medical bills that come when a pet needs to see a veterinarian. Pet insurance, in general, covers things like necessary vaccinations and checkups, and also more expensive medical care, such as surgery.
It is very easy to see why someone would decide to purchase pet insurance. You can think of it as a health insurance policy for your pets. It makes a certain amount of sense to have this kind of insurance policy, especially if you have a lot of pets. However, this is not the kind of insurance that some lawmakers in Texas want to require pet owners to purchase. Instead, they are working on a mandate that would force dog owners to buy liability insurance on their dogs. This not making dog owners very happy.
The proposal would require dog owners to purchase liability insurance that costs $100,000 on their dogs. This law is specifically targeting owners of “unleashed, un-neutered, male dogs” that are over twenty pounds. Owners who violate this requirement would be charged with a misdemeanor, and potentially fined up to $500. This law would exclude dog owners who are using their dogs in hunting, or sporting activities, and dog owners who are in less-populated areas.
Lawmakers say that it is the large, un-neutered, male dogs that present the most risk of potential property damage, or injuries to people. The lawmakers feel that this law would force dog owners to be more responsible for the actions of their dogs. There is the argument that if a dog injures a person, it can cost that person a lot of money in medical bills in order to treat those injuries. The liability insurance would be used as a form of financial compensation for the person who a large dog injured. This law would prevent a dog owner from simply refusing to pay for the medical care a person required as a result of being injured by their dog.
Dog owners, on the other hand, say that this law is really a new way to force dog owners to spay or neuter their pets. It seems that people who have large dogs for the purpose of sporting or hunting are especially unhappy with this proposed law. Others argue that a homeowners insurance policy should cover dogs, so the liability insurance would be unnecessary. Another argument is that there are a lot of injuries that occur at school playgrounds, due to children who are bullies, but no one is making parents buy liability insurance on their child. It remains to be seen if this law will be passed.
Image by Mark Robinson on Flickr