Advice - insurance / dog bite

[Layla321]

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hello,
I have found this forum as I’m looking for some help,
My friend slept over my house, and in the middle of the night my dog was snoring so loud it woke her up, to not wake him up she crept passed him in the kitchen with all lights off and startled him, ( he Can barely see due to failed eye operations ) so he bit her leg from reflex and then let go, the bite didn’t seem bad but then became infected badly resulting in an operation to flush abscess.
She now can’t work for 4 weeks, do anyone know if my pet insurance ( animal friends - superior plus ) willcover this or if I should be looking at the house insurance or if neither will cover this?
If not, I will have to try to pay her myself for lost wages, as she’s self employed.
She doesn’t blame him and luckily is not claiming against me but ofcourse it’s a gutting situation.
If he did this any other time, I would question his temperment but we both know this was just a freak accident from a typically incredibly loving soft dog who was cuddling her a few hours before and had passed risk assessments for children’s television.

thankyou for any help on what path I should take with this

 

[JudyN]

Have you checked the small print of the policy? A couple of things to consider are that if you ask them directly, they may stick your premiums up even if you don't claim... but also, if you don't tell them about the accident, it could invalidate your insurance if they find out later.

Actually, I've just found what I think will be your policy here: https://www.animalfriends.co.uk/app/policydocuments/policywording/pet-superior-policy-wording.pdf (see Section 5). It looks as if you would be covered but they do say 'You must not admit responsibility, agree to pay any claim or negotiate with any other persons following an incident.' And also 'You agree for us to take charge of your claim and allow us to prosecute,defend or settle the same on terms we are advised are reasonable in your name for our benefit.' Which does sound as if it could get complicated.

I think the first step would be to read your policy very carefully to see if you need to inform them regardless - if so, you can then discuss your options further.

Well done to both you and your friend for not blaming the dog. I hope she makes a full recovery.