Average Dog-Bite Insurance Claim Now Tops $50,000

In the year of ‘pandemic pets,’ homeowners’ dog-bite injury claims fell overall, but the total cost of claims spiked to a record level, according to a new analysis of 2020 data from the Insurance Information Institute (III) and State Farm.

At the same time, animal rights advocates are bringing a renewed focus to the controversial practice of insurance rating for specific dog breeds in homeowners policies.

The number of dog-bite and related injury claims in 2020 fell by 4.6% from the previous year, to 16,990 from 17,800, the study found.

A significant exception was March 2020, which showed a rise in claim frequency as the pandemic took hold and more people stayed home, with the number of claims up 21.6% from the previous March.

But while the number of claims was down overall in 2020, the total cost of claims paid by insurers rose 7.1% to $853.7 million, up from $796.8 million in 2019.