A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Keven Moore: Pet ownership brings great rewards, but don’t overlook the potential risk factor


According to Statista.com 68 percent of all households in the United States own pets, up from 56 percent in 1988.

As of March 2017 a total of 89.7 million dogs, 94.2 million cats, 20.3 million birds, 14 million small animals and 9.4 million reptiles were estimated to be residing in U.S. households.

The American Pet Product Association (APPA) estimates that pet owners in the United States spent $60.28 billion on their animal friends in 2015 and that number was expected to rise by more than $2 billion in 2016.

As a parent and safety and risk management professional, I can tell you that owning a pet can be hazardous in more ways than one.

be responsible for taking care of the critter, which resided in her bedroom.

We also learned pretty quickly that the hamsters were nocturnal and often times would wake us in the night.

You can imagine the excitement the morning my daughter awoke to discover that her hamster had delivered five little baby hamsters and life lessons that soon followed as she watched Penny nurture and take care of her young, but that is where the story took a crazy turn — for the worse.

Shortly after the little baby surprise, Chelsea came into our bedroom crying early one Saturday morning to tell us that Penny was eating one of her babies. At first we told her she had to be mistaken, but she kept coming back into our room crying. After about the fifth time, I decided to get out of bed and check it out. I quickly learned about the term “filial cannibalism” where the mother will eat their young or immediate offspring.

One by one over the next few days, we went from six hamsters back down to one, leaving my daughter an emotional wreck.

Many studies have been conducted that show pets promote more healthy lives for their owners. In December 2014, Medical News Today reported on a study that associated household pets with stronger social skills in children with Autism. And in May 2013, a study published in the journal Circulation linked pet ownership to reduced risk of heart disease.

Pets today come with a degree of responsibilities, but they come with their own risks and health hazards for their owners. While pets can benefit us in a number of ways, they also have the potential to spread infection and cause human illnesses such as campylobacteriosis, toxoplasmosis, parrot-fever cat-scratch disease, tapeworm, hookworm and roundworm, to name a few.

Rabies is one of the worst diseases that can be contracted through animal bites. A recent study reported by MNT found the disease kills around 59,000 people worldwide every year. Fortunately, the number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined from more than 100 annually at the turn of the century to only one or two per year today.

According to the CDC, more than 1 million people in the U.S. become ill from Salmonella infection each year. And of these illnesses, more than 70,000 are caused by contact with reptiles.

To reduce your chances of being affected by one of these diseases, it is recommended that you have good personal hygiene, pick up and dispose of feces, avoid scratches and bites and always get your pets vaccinated.

Many of us have heard stories about owners of exotic pets being killed by buffalos, lions, bears, chimpanzees wolves, …etc., but some household pets have been proven to be deadly as well.

For example despite years of experience handling reptiles, a 23 year old Lanesville, IN man was crushed to death by his 14-foot pet python in September 2006. In August of 2013, two boys age, six and four, were found dead in an apartment in the eastern Canadian province of New Brunswick above a pet shop and believed to be killed by an African rock python that had escaped its cage.

Regardless of my aversion for snakes, dogs-related bites remains the leading cause of homeowner’s insurance claims. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4.5 million people suffer dog bites each year, with about 900,000 requiring medical treatment.

That’s why animal liability coverage is an essential part of being a responsible pet owner. Most insurance companies limit dog bite insurance coverage, restrict certain breeds from coverage, or exclude animal liability coverage altogether.

The number of fatal dog attacks in the U.S. has continued to increase annually. According to Dogbite.org, in 2016, 31 fatalities occurred after dog attacks, to which put bulls contributed to 71 percent.

Together, pit bulls and rottweilers, the second most lethal breed, accounted for 77 percent of the total recorded deaths in 2016. By comparison, labradors and their mixes only contributed to 3 deaths.

Annual data from 2016 shows that 42 percent (13) of the fatality victims were children ages 9-years and younger and 58 percent (18) were adults, ages 30-years and older.

Of the total adults killed by canines in last year, pit bulls were responsible for 67 percent (12) and 42 percent (13) of all dog bite fatality victims were either visiting or living temporarily with the dog’s owner when the fatal attack occurred, up from 32 percent in 2015.

Kentucky is a strict liability state for dog bites. KRS 258.235(4) states: “Any owner whose dog is found to have caused damage to a person, livestock or other property shall be responsible for that damage.”

This implies that a dog’s owner is legally responsible for any injuries or bites that his or her dog inflicts. The owner is liable even if the dog has never bitten anyone before or acted aggressively in the past.

The bottom line is that dog owners are accountable for the actions of their pets and can be held liable, and may even be criminally responsible.

I still believe that with the right amount of precaution, you can reduce your liability and risks of a dog bite claim. The dogs are most dangerous as the result of poor training, irresponsible ownership and breeding that foster viciousness or neglect and abuse.

Remember, even the most docile dog, cat or any other pet may bite someone when frightened or when protecting their offspring, owners or food. Ultimately, the responsibility for properly training and controlling a dog — or any pet — rests with the owner.

To better protect yourself from liability it is recommended that you call your insurance agent to insure your pet on your homeowner’s or renters policy, and if you own a particularly dangerous breed, you may want to see of you can purchase an umbrella policy for an extra layer of protection.

 
Be safe, my friends.

Keven-Moore_10221

Keven Moore works in risk management services. He has a bachelor’s degree from University of Kentucky, a master’s from Eastern Kentucky University and 25-plus years of experience in the safety and insurance profession. He lives in Lexington with his family and works out of both the Lexington and Northern Kentucky offices. Keven can be reached at kmoore@roeding.com.


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