1. Man’s best friend? Dog bite liability

2. Insurances Civil liability insurance Homeowner insurance Renters insurance Other Special insurance: dog bite liability Average premium: $ 1.000 /year

3. When are you liable? Because of ownership Exceptions: Trespassing Veterinarians Felons Provocation Police/military “one bite rule” Prevention

4. Most vicious dogs (responsible for the greatest number of dog bite-related fatalities from 1979 to 1998) 1.Pitbull 2.Rottweiler 3.German Shepherd 4.Husky 5.Malamute 6.Doberman 7.Chow 8.Great Dane 9.Saint Bernard 10.Wolf hybrids 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

5. What is covered? (future) medical treatment Medications Psychological counseling Loss of earnings Torn clothing

6. Statistics (USA) 65 million dogs Annual bites: 4.7 million (2%) 800.000 (1/6) need medical attention Deaths: 15-20 /year Dogs of family/friends: 77% Losses: > $ 1 billion /year $ 345 million paid by insurance

7. Emergency room incindents (2005) Cause of injuryIncidents Baseball/softball404.364 Dog bites333.687 Playground accidents268.810 All-terain vehicles, mopeds,…125.136 Volleyball97.523 Inline skating75.994 Horseback riding71.162

10. Number of dogs (+ 2%)

11. Number of bites (+ 33%)

12. Homeowner claims

13. Consequences For the owner: Loss of house, income,… For the victim: Physical consequences No way to recover For society: Society pays medical bills, disability and unemployment benefits Banning of certain breeds