State Farm Pays More Dog Bite Claims During Pandemic Stress - Pets Lovers

 

As we all already know, the global pandemic has changed major aspects in our lives. Therefore, it is not surprising that many of us gets stressed and tensed because of it. Apparently, it is not only humans that feel anxious and stressed, but dogs as well. This condition can lead to aggressive behaviours. State Farm, a famous insurance company, shows a new report showing that dog-related injury State Farm home insurance dogs claims are increasing during the global pandemic.

            It is reported that the insurance company paid almost $157 million dollars for just under 3,200 dog injury or bite claims last year in the entire United States. The climax happened in March 2020, which was the first outbreak of the pandemic. State Farm’s dog behaviour specialist, Heather Paul, mentioned that they saw an increase of 115 percent. According to Paul, dogs pick up their owners’ anxiety. The dogs feel like the owners invade their space since they are used to the owners being gone most of the day so that they have quiet time.

            Suddenly, since the dog owners need to work from home due to the pandemic, the dogs have to live with them 24/7. This sudden change can be slightly nerve wracking for dogs. Now that the dogs are getting used to the owners being at home most of the time, we are transitioning back into a normal post-pandemic life. More and more employees start to work from the office again. This cause separation anxiety to dogs that just get used to be with the owners all the time.

            And the separation anxiety can trigger dog to bite or destroy properties. Heather Paul stated another concern, which is so-called pandemic pets. These pets are fostered or adopted during the pandemic so that they might not have been properly socialized. During the lockdown, dogs cannot meet other dogs and people more often and this condition might make them easily overwhelmed. The dog behaviour specialist said that plenty of policies limit between $100,000 to $300,000.

            However, State Farm home insurance dogs recommends pet owners to consider adding an additional personal liability policy that would cover expenses up to some million dollars. One of the reasons why the amount paid for dog-related injury claims increase is because of the increasing cost of health care. The State Farm’s dog behaviour specialist mentioned that pet owners should not be encouraged if their pets show potentially aggressive behaviours.

            Pets look to owners to help keep them safe and recognize when they feel uncomfortable. So that pet owners are suggested not to put their pets in a situation where it can potentially injure or attack someone. No pet owner wants to see that. No pet owner wants to get sued by someone because of their dogs hurting someone else. For your information, if the injury is serious and needs physical therapy, this can get very pricey. And not all pet insurance policies can cover all the expenses since some requirements might be applied. – State Farm home insurance dogs.