New Viennese Dogs Must be Insured

Any dog born in Vienna on or after the first of January 2006 will be costing its owner something extra in the form of liability insurance.

According to an article from AP, the City’s authorities have made such coverage mandatory for dogs born after the first of the year. Although the new law isn’t retroactive for the Austrian capital City’s thousands of existing pets, its effect will no doubt begin to bite as time goes on.

Policies must have minimum coverage of €725,000 ($860,000.) They are designed to pay for legal, hospital or other costs arising from damage or injury caused by the animals.

Dog owners who fail to provide the mandatory coverage could be subject to a fine of up to €3500 ($4150) – an additional bite.