Posted On: June 27, 2008, 9:27 am CDT

Posted By: L Gonzo

It's important to take dog bite claims statistic into perspective.

"While dog bites are serious events for those who are bitten, the dog bite problem is not the public health crisis that the insurance industry has made it out to be. Some perspective is in order. The number of fatalities due to dog bites is very low when compared to the number of people who die from heart disease, cancer, accidents, suicide, and diabetes. Likewise, nonfatal bites are responsible for a small number of injuries when compared to other accidental, unintentional injuries. Falls (11.5 million), motor vehicle accidents (4.3 million), drugs (3.3 million), sports (2.0 million), insect bites (1.7 million), bicycle accidents (1.4 million), poisoning (.7 million), and knives (.6 million) all individually outrank dog bites (.5 million) as public health problems. [FN461] Similarly, claims paid out by homeowners' companies for dog bites are miniscule when compared to payouts for property damage. Damage due to fire, water, wind, and theft represent much larger problems for homeowners' insurance companies." Larry Cunningham, The Case Against Dog Breed Discrimination by Homeowners' Insurance Companies, 11 Conn. Ins. L.J. 1 (2004)

I fear that the insurance industry (among others) tends toward criminalizing a large population of dog owners for the shortcomings of a few while simultaneously ignoring the scientific evidence that owning dogs provides both physical and emotional health benefits.

Encouraging and rewarding responsible dog ownership practices sounds like a more effective solution for everyone.