Facing losing my house over a dog bite incident… what can I do?

About six months ago, our dog got out of the yard and bit a neighbor who was jogging. The dog is small, but it did break the skin on her leg, and she needed one stitch. She called an ambulance and ended up suing us. Our homeowners insurance covered the claim, and I thought that was the end of it.

Now, we’ve just found out that our insurance won’t renew our policy, and after calling around, it seems like no one else will cover us either because of the bite incident. We’re so desperate we even offered to give up the dog, but it hasn’t helped.

The bank says we can’t keep the mortgage without insurance. They offered a $400/month policy, but it would only cover what they’re owed—if the house burned down, we’d get nothing.

Is there anything else we can try?

We finally found an option, but we have to rehome the dog by tomorrow. I’m currently calling no-kill shelters.

Ainsley said:
We finally found an option, but we have to rehome the dog by tomorrow. I’m currently calling no-kill shelters.

I’m sorry you’re in this position. As hard as it is, keeping the house is more important.

@Kai
Agreed, we can’t make my wife and kids live in a camper.

Do you know how much your insurance ended up paying out for the bite?

Phoenix said:
Do you know how much your insurance ended up paying out for the bite?

They didn’t tell us the exact amount, but based on what I’ve found online, $10k seems to be the average.

You might want to try contacting an independent broker who can look into multiple companies for you. You may need to rehome the dog or agree to exclude any liability for it. Coverage could be more expensive for a while, but there should be an option.