New Mexico town requires “potentially dangerous” dog breed owners to take out $100,000 in insurance

Elephant Butte, a town in New Mexico is now requiring the owners of certain dog breeds – including Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and German Shepherds – to purchase a special form of liability insurance policy. Regardless of the training and past behavior of the animals, as of March 1, 2012, the dogs in those breeds were considered by the city to be potentially dangerous, and their owners had been given 90 days in which to take out a personal property liability policy, worth a minimum of $100,000, to cover them. Alan…

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Animal liability takes a bite out of the insurance industry

Almost one thousand Americans are treated in emergency rooms every day as a result of dog bites. Estimates show that in 2009 insurance companies paid out a total of 412 million dollars in claims for dog bites. In a survey recently conducted by State Farm, they reveal the states with the highest amount of claims for dog bites. Topping the list was California. According to the State Farm survey, California rated the highest in dog bite claims filed. Last year, California had 369 claims filed on insurance because of dog…

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