Dog attack

bumblebee_tuna

Undervalued said:

bumblebee_tuna said:

Hiya, need some help please...

My dog has bitten another dog, and I put my hands up and have admitted liability. Steps have been taken to mitigate this issue in future.

They have contacted me to say they want me to pay for vet bills, loss of earnings due to being unable to work for two weeks (their own dog bit them during the incident, and they could not leave dog unattended), alternative treatments and exercise facilities.

They say their insurance will cover most of the vet bills, but want me to pay for everything else or claim on my own insurance. We don't have pet insurance as we have always put money away into a pot. The "everything else" runs into four figures...

Am I liable to pay for all of it? Why would their own insurance not cover the loss of earnings/alternative treatments etc? I feel like I need more advice before I just hand money over. 

Have you taken proper legal advice as to what extent (if at all) you are legally liable?

Any insurance will only cover your legal liabilities and not pay out just because you "feel" responsible for something and "want to do the right thing".

Normally also a condition of the insurance will be that you do not admit liability and take a neutral stance.

Even if you are legally responsible the injured party has a legal duty to minimise their losses as far as reasonably possible. Just because somebody is at fault doesn't mean the other party can run them up as big a bill as possible. If it went to court the most they would get is reasonable compensation which may well be less than the costs they have chosen to incur.

I have taken legal advice, and their advice was because my dog broke off her lead and injured another, I was legally responsible for all damages as she was considered "out of control".

elsien

Reasonable damages and necessary ones, surely. Not everything that they decide to try their luck with. 

Undervalued

bumblebee_tuna said:

sheramber said:

 Lots of unknowns in this.

A client is entitled to an itemised invoice from the vet so ask for that. ( why would they need to redact information unless it was not appropriate)

I would also want confirmation from the vet that the dog could not be left for two weeks.

Behavioural assessment and treatment should be covered by his  insurance unless it is not vet referred and just their choice.

I have never seen 'confidence and training sessions for owners. Again i would want to know who has advised this is necessary and who   is supplying it?

What qualifications do they have to do it?

How have they arrived at the potential cost without knowing how long it will take to restore confidence?

I would want to see a formal  assessment from a qualified? person that this is necessary.

Yes, a dog can have its confidence shattered by an  attack but how long ago did this happen? If the dog could not be left for two weeks surely recovery would still be ongoing for a while before they dog would be mixing with other dogs .

Gentle introductions to quiet, friendly dogs is done at the dog's pace., starting with dogs the dog knows and is comfortable with. 
Was the dog nervous of other dogs before the attack?

There is no way to predict how many sessions that will take .  

The invoices they provided were hidden, some were only receipts, which I wouldn't have accepted in the first place. And I absolutely agree with you about the confidence sessions.

The incident happened two months ago. There are two dogs, both of whom were barking at my dog in the first place which agitated her and spun off into the incident. It may have been a nervous dog in the first place, hence the barking, but I'm not a dog behaviourist so have no idea really.

I assume my insurance company will look further into these queries, or should I be raising the question with them direct?

They may or may not do but that is not your problem. An insurance company is a business and all kinds of factors will decide how much effort they put into defending the matter. Broadly, they are not going to spend £1000 in time and costs in an attempt to save £500.

sheramber

They say their insurance will cover most of the vet bills, but want me to pay for everything else or claim on my own insurance.

And yet   didn't seem too amused when I informed them that I had passed their details over to my insurance. 

Had you told them you did not have pet insurance before they submitted their bill?

bumblebee_tuna

sheramber said:

They say their insurance will cover most of the vet bills, but want me to pay for everything else or claim on my own insurance.

And yet   didn't seem too amused when I informed them that I had passed their details over to my insurance. 

Had you told them you did not have pet insurance before they submitted their bill?

No, they did not contact me at all for over a month and a half after the incident (I had no way of contacting them) by which point they had apparently already organised for their own pet insurance to cover the veterinary bills. The dog warden then asked if I had pet insurance, and I advised I did not. Only after I said this, did I receive any contact from the other party with a long list of costs they wanted me to cover.

Only from advice on here did I realise I could cover the costs through my home insurance, which obviously has changed the scenario.

bumblebee_tuna

Undervalued said:

bumblebee_tuna said:

The invoices they provided were hidden, some were only receipts, which I wouldn't have accepted in the first place. And I absolutely agree with you about the confidence sessions.

The incident happened two months ago. There are two dogs, both of whom were barking at my dog in the first place which agitated her and spun off into the incident. It may have been a nervous dog in the first place, hence the barking, but I'm not a dog behaviourist so have no idea really.

I assume my insurance company will look further into these queries, or should I be raising the question with them direct?

They may or may not do but that is not your problem. An insurance company is a business and all kinds of factors will decide how much effort they put into defending the matter. Broadly, they are not going to spend £1000 in time and costs in an attempt to save £500.

That makes complete sense, thank you.

sheramber

bumblebee_tuna said:

sheramber said:

They say their insurance will cover most of the vet bills, but want me to pay for everything else or claim on my own insurance.

And yet   didn't seem too amused when I informed them that I had passed their details over to my insurance. 

Had you told them you did not have pet insurance before they submitted their bill?

No, they did not contact me at all for over a month and a half after the incident (I had no way of contacting them) by which point they had apparently already organised for their own pet insurance to cover the veterinary bills. The dog warden then asked if I had pet insurance, and I advised I did not. Only after I said this, did I receive any contact from the other party with a long list of costs they wanted me to cover.

Only from advice on here did I realise I could cover the costs through my home insurance, which obviously has changed the scenario.

  So the list of expenses arose after the dog warden was told you did not have pet insurance. The dog warden probably reported   back to them  that you dod not have pet insurance. 

Undervalued

sheramber said:

bumblebee_tuna said:

sheramber said:

They say their insurance will cover most of the vet bills, but want me to pay for everything else or claim on my own insurance.

And yet   didn't seem too amused when I informed them that I had passed their details over to my insurance. 

Had you told them you did not have pet insurance before they submitted their bill?

No, they did not contact me at all for over a month and a half after the incident (I had no way of contacting them) by which point they had apparently already organised for their own pet insurance to cover the veterinary bills. The dog warden then asked if I had pet insurance, and I advised I did not. Only after I said this, did I receive any contact from the other party with a long list of costs they wanted me to cover.

Only from advice on here did I realise I could cover the costs through my home insurance, which obviously has changed the scenario.

  So the list of expenses arose after the dog warden was told you did not have pet insurance. The dog warden probably reported   back to them  that you dod not have pet insurance. 

Well, he shouldn't have done! If he did then the OP has grounds to make a complaint to his employer (presumably the council).

There is (rightly or wrongly and as far as I know) no legal obligation to have third party insurance for your dog. I would certainly agree it is sensible to do so, but it is not the dog warden's right to even know whether the OP had insurance and certainly not their place to pass that information on.