Yes, PUP insurance may cover your dog
What you need to know before investing in personal umbrella policy (PUP)
Does the dog have teeth? Yes or no. If the answer is “yes,” that means it bites. It may not bite people. It may bite toys, bite food, bite shoes or bite dog beds. But dogs bite. Even the most well-trained dog can run into a situation where someone (often a child) may antagonize it. For example, my dog hated one of the three kids who lived next door, who would constantly throw things over the fence. Although I adored the other two kids, I also couldn’t stand this boy. In fact, not only did he throw random objects in our backyard at my dog, but he actually threw rocks at me on my way to the train station.
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Although he was later removed from the home (he was a foster child), that still left my dog wary of hanging out in the backyard. If my dog was in the backyard, we kept an eye on the activity on the other side of the fence. We already knew that if it came down to this kid versus our Labrador Retriever mix, the Lab was going to win. But in the process, we would’ve risked our own dog being considered “vicious” and taken from us.
While the average experience between stranger and pet is amiable, pet owners do have to be prepared to encounter complicated situations with pets. This is one of many reasons why some may choose to consider the insurance option personal umbrella policy (PUP), specifically those with a sizable amount of investments, high net worth and who want to guard future earnings.
Does everybody need PUP?
No, everyone does not need PUP insurance. While it’s commonly advised that dog owners get PUP, their salaries will dictate whether that’s necessary. (Pet insurance and homeowners or condo insurance may be sufficient.) WalletHub breaks down umbrella insurance prices with a coverage range of $1 million to $5 million, costing insurers anywhere from $150 to $525 per year.
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This type of insurance covers home (and automobile) claims that exceed what liability insurance would cover. Umbrella insurance includes libel and slander. (For example, a pet owner wrote an allegedly slanderous Yelp review of a doggy day care center or a pet grooming facility, and was at risk of being sued.)
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Other types of insurance (renters, automobile, homeowners, etc.) just require claims being approved and then paying the deductible. Umbrella insurance is designed for situations that the average insurance will not cover. Some insurance companies even require a minimum value on the pet owner’s home or car before they’ll approve umbrella insurance.
Unfortunately, some pet owners may be banned from PUP because of the breed of the dog and/or the types of injuries caused by the dog, specifically if the dog bite was intentional.