Health dog liabilityAs a dog owner, the following situation is certainly not unknown to you: While walking the dog, it comes to the
Visual contact with another dog and already your four-legged friend tears himself away from you to romp with the other dog. In the heat of the moment, he adds the other dog a more or less serious injury to. The quite salted bill from the veterinarian passes the owner of the injured dog of course on to you. Thus, a completely unbiased walk suddenly turns into a not inconsiderable financial burden. Not to mention the case if your dog causes Dog runs into the street causing an accident or bites a human being.
One thing is clear: Even every dog, no matter how well trained, ultimately remains an animal that relies on its instincts in an emergency. Often the four-legged friends are then at least for a short moment unpredictable. A moment, which is enough to possibly even
considerable damage to property or even personal injury to cause. Without appropriate insurance coverage, you as the dog owner are obligated to Costs to be borne out of your own pocket.
In this article you will learn why the conclusion of a separate dog liability insurance for all dog owners makes sense, what benefits the insurance offers and what you should pay attention to when choosing a tariff.
In this article..
What is dog liability insurance?
Dog liability insurance protects you as a pet owner against claims for damages by third parties. Because as a dog owner you are liable by law for all damage caused by your animal – no matter whether you are to blame or not. For example, this can be costs from an accident caused by the dog, a dog attack on people or other animals or other damages. As a rule, the dog liability insurance covers Costs arising from personal injury, property damage and financial loss taken over.
"If an animal kills a human being, injures the body or health of a human being or damages an object, the person who keeps the animal is obliged to compensate the injured person for the resulting damage."
§ 833 sentence 1 BGB
Is my private liability insurance not sufficient?
Quite clearly: No!
Many dog owners are under the misapprehension that any damage caused by their dog is covered by the already existing private liability insurance should be covered can. Unfortunately this is not the case. Therefore you should think as a dog owner in time about the conclusion of a dog liability insurance – in in some federal states you have to it even, if you do not want to risk a high fine. In which federal states Du mandatory dog liability insurance you need to know here.
Is the dog liability insurance a compulsory insurance?
Whether the dog liability insurance is a mandatory insurance, depends on in which state the permanent residence of the dog owner is located. In some federal states there is an area-wide compulsory insurance for all dogs, in others only for so-called "list dogs" or "40/20 dogs" and in again other federal states there is no general insurance obligation for dogs.
Listed dogs are breeds that are considered to be particularly dangerous due to a high aggression potential are considered particularly dangerous. Depending on the federal state these breed lists can differ from each other. Therefore, you should check which dog breeds are listed dogs in your state.
The indication 40/20 stands for 40 cm height at withers and 20 kg body weight. In some federal states, dogs that meet these specifications (from 40 cm and from 20 kg) must be insured regardless of the breed.
– In Brandenburg owners of such dogs are obliged to notify the authorities of the possession and to provide a so-called "proof of reliability". – Who in North Rhine-Westphalia owns a 40/20 dog is obliged to equip it with a transponder.
What is the cost of dog liability?
The tariff premium depends on the Number of the animals to be insured, the Contract period, according to the Use according to the training of the dog (for example guide dog, therapy dog or rescue dog) and of course according to whether the tariff includes a deductible included or not.
Example: For a one-year liability insurance for a dog in private use (pet), we recommend the tariff of Uelzener Versicherung, which has no deductible and a premium of 15 Mio. Euro coverage for property damage, personal injury, property damage and rental property damage costs only 160.63 per year. The most favorable offer with the same basic data is 49 € per year.
Can I take out dog liability insurance for all dogs?
Yes, in our comparison calculator you can take out a dog liability insurance for all dogs, regardless of breed, sex or age of the dog.
It can even up to 5 dogs per insurance policy to be insured. With Uelzener it becomes even more favorable, if one covers several quadrupeds in a contract. If even more dogs are to be insured, this can be done by a Special request can also be processed.
Which dog breeds are considered to be listed or fighting dogs? The definition of listed dogs is not uniformly regulated throughout Germany. May differ depending on the state. While in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, for example, one is not subject to any insurance obligation, in Berlin, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia all dogs without exception insured are. Often, mixed breeds of the breeds concerned are also considered to be listed dogs. Are therefore also subject to compulsory insurance.
For four breeds of dogs there is a general ban on the import or movement of dogs. These are: Pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, bull terrier.
Six federal states published a list of dog breeds that are classified as dangerous. Crossbreeds among themselves and even with other breeds are also considered dangerous.
– Bullmastiff – Dogo Argentino – Dogue de Bordeaux – Fila Brasilero – Mastin Espanol – Mastino Napoletano – Mastiff – Tosa Inu
– Alano – American Bulldog – Bullmastiff – Cane Corso – Dog Argentino – Dogue de Bordeaux – Fila Brasileiro – Mastiff – Mastin Espanol – Mastino Napoletano – Rottweiler – Perrode Presa Canario (Dogo Canario) – Perrode Presa Mallorquin
– Tosa Inu – Bullmastiff – Dogo Argentino – Fila Brasileiro – Mastin Espanol – Mastino Napoletano – Mastiff
presumption of fighting dog status until proven otherwise:
– Alano – Bullmastiff – Cane Corso – Doberman – Dogo Argentino – Dogue de Bordeaux – Fila Brasileiro – Mastiff – Mastin Espanol – Mastino Napoletano – Rottweiler – Perro de Presa Canario (Dogo Canario) – Perro de Presa Mallorquin
– Bullmastiff – Dogo Argentino – Dogue de Bordeaux – Fila Brasileiro – Kangal – Caucasian Owtscharka – Mastiff – Mastin Espanol – Mastino Napoletano – Rottweiler – Tosa Inu
– American Bulldog – Dogo Argentiono – Kangal (Karabash) – Caucasian Owcharka – Rottweiler
To keep one of the listed dog breeds, you must have a official authorization be pronounced. This can be accompanied by other requirements such as the age of majority of the owner, a corresponding insurance cover, a character test of the dog or a leash or muzzle obligation. Dog owners at the responsible regulatory office about the import permits. Inquire about possible requirements such as travel documents.
What costs are covered by the dog liability in case of damage?
A dog liability insurance primarily covers costs for Property damage, personal injury, property damage and rental property damage. In addition, depending on the contract, the costs of damage from herding by third parties and from an unwanted Cover act are taken over. Cover for salvage-. rescue costs.
Bad debt coverage is the case in which your dog or you as the dog owner suffer damage for which no one can pay. This can be the case, for example, if the dog responsible for the damage is not insured by a dog liability insurance and the owner cannot pay for the damage due to his financial situation. In this case, the bad debt coverage of your own dog liability insurance comes into force and pays for the financial damages. Some insurers set for this case, however, a minimum amount of damage to.
Does the insurance cover also apply abroad?
Depending on the tariff, the insurance cover for your four-legged friend is also valid abroad. For example, tariffs of the Uelzener insure in the Abroad up to 12 months, worldwide, however not in the USA and Canada, the tariffs of Agila insure only up to 2 months, but worldwide.
Which sum insured should I choose?
As with all other liability insurances, you should of course also have a dog liability insurance as high a sum insured as possible to be fully covered in the event of a claim. Above all, because you as a pet owner carry the full financial risk for your four-legged friend, you should not save at this end at all. Our comparison calculator shows that a good dog liability insurance with a high coverage amount does not have to be expensive. For orientation: the Stiftung Warentest recommends an Minimum coverage amounting to 5 million euros.
Does the insurance cover also apply if I give my dog to a third party??
As a rule, dog liability insurance only covers damage caused by your dog that occurs under your direct supervision as the policyholder. However, many tariffs contain a special clause, according to which also such liability damages are covered, which come about, if your dog is supervised over a certain period of time not by you as a policyholder, but by a third person. This clause is called Third party herding risk designates. If you often leave your dog in the hands of third parties, we strongly recommend that you choose a tariff that covers the third-party risk.
The unintentional mating act is also insured?
Involuntary mating" is when a male dog mates with a female dog without the owner's consent. According to the law, the owner of the mating dog must then pay for the costs associated with this circumstance. These so-called "mating damages" can include, for example, the costs for the abortion or the rearing of the puppies. When taking out dog liability insurance, you should therefore pay particular attention to whether this insured event is included or excluded in the tariff. Most of the time you can tell by the price, because tariffs from the cheaper price segment almost never take over these costs.
Can I deduct dog liability insurance from my taxes??
The liability insurance for dogs is in some cases actually tax deductible. However, some criteria must be fulfilled, which do not apply to everyone.
Tax liability: Dog owner must be taxable! People with low incomes (for example pensioners or Hartz4 recipients) are often not liable for taxes. Can therefore also not make use of the tax relief.
Special expenses: Costs for insurance, including dog liability insurance, must be reported in the tax return under the heading "special expenses".
Limited deductibleInsurance is considered a pension expense and is only deductible up to a limit of € 1 800 for employees and civil servants and € 2 800 for the self-employed. These limits are often reached before the dog liability insurance is registered.
Tip: To make sure that your dog liability insurance is checked by the tax office, you should declare the insurance under special expenses despite the limits. The tax office independently checks whether the limits have been reached in your case, and maybe it will turn out better for you than you thought!
What are the consequences of not insuring my dog??
If it should come without appropriate insurance protection to the case of damage it can become expensive for you. On the one hand, keeping a breed of dog that is subject to insurance without insurance coverage with
Fines of up to €10,000 On the one hand, you will be fined for the damage and on the other hand, as a dog owner, you will have to pay for the damage out of your own pocket.
Example: An aggressive dog attacks a child and the child is seriously injured and has to be treated permanently. In this case, the dog owner's liability insurance will be held accountable. If he does not have one, he must pay for all costs incurred, such as rehabilitation measures out of his own pocket.
But even for dogs classified as non-dangerous, it can make sense to take out liability protection; here is another example from everyday life.
Example: A dog suddenly runs onto the road, an approaching car has to brake hard as a result and thus causes an accident. Without adequate insurance coverage, the pet owner must also pay for all costs incurred in this case. Regardless of whether there is fender bender or long-term disability of an injured party – the dog owner alone bears the costs.
Conclusion
As you can see, it is more than understandable that more and more federal states require dog owners to have a dog liability insurance. But also independently of this, you should – if you have not already done so – definitely think about taking out additional insurance cover. Because no matter how well behaved your dog may be – in the end it is still an animal. When in doubt, act according to your instincts. The rates in our comparison calculator show that a good dog liability insurance does not have to be expensive.