Dogs and homeowners insurance: Dog bites accounted for $412 million in claims last year

Dog bites accounted for more than one third of all homeowners insurance liability claims paid out last year, according to a new report from the Insurance Information Institute.

Dog bite claims totalled $412 million in 2009, the group says, with an average claim of $24,840. The cost of dog-bite-related claims has risen nearly 30 percent from 2003-2009. The frequency of claims increased slightly, from 15,823 in 2008 to 16,586 a year later.

See the link above for more data, including national stats on dog bites, victim demographics, and the several kinds of liability that dog owners face.

A typical homeowners policy provides $100,000 to $300,000 in liability coverage. And one a dog has bitten someone, the company may boost your premiums, exclude the dog from coverage, or require behavior-modification classes before they'll cover the animal.