Dogs and insurance

Q: Am I covered if my dog bites someone else visiting my home, or when we're at a city park or campground?

A: Generally yes. Your homeowners policy will typically cover the incident at home or away from home, but once your insurance company knows that your dog caused an injury, the company may take a second look at you as a risk. The company may not want to continue coverage, or could raise its rates, since it's hard to guarantee that the dog will never bite someone again.

Note: This is one of a series of common -- or in some cases, particularly unusual -- questions received by our consumer advocacy staff, who answer questions from consumers.
Got a question or insurance problem of your own? If you live in Washington, feel free to give us a call, toll-free at 1-800-562-6900. We'll do our best to help. (And if you live in another state or territory, here's a handy map that lists the contact info for your local insurance regulatory office.)