Owning a dog is a big responsibility and one that you need to take seriously. Unfortunately, there is a chance that your pet could bite your best friend when they are visiting and cause a serious dispute. However, your homeowner's insurance could help you out in this situation by providing you with the coverage you need to handle their health needs.

Dog Bites Can End Friendships

There are many signs that a dog is about to bite somebody. For example, you may find that your dog flattens their ears whenever your friend is around. They may also growl or even snarl at them. The reasons for this kind of behavior can be mysterious and may just be due to your dog having a difficult personality or disliking your friend for mysterious reasons.

Whatever the case, a dog bite can put a serious strain on your friendship. Your friend may try to sue you for the bite and claim that you are to blame. Though laws for dog bites vary between the states, most will put liability on the dog owner if they didn't take steps to protect the person who was injured. Establishing liability here can be a real challenging situation.

Thankfully, there are ways that you and your friend can avoid this problem. Take responsibility for the damage and ask them not to sue you or ask for your dog to be put down. If you are worried that you won't be able to pay, don't worry: your homeowner's insurance might kick in for you.

Your Homeowner's Insurance May Help

Few homeowners realize that their insurance will cover damage caused by dog bites. In fact, most policies have this protection built right into their language at no extra cost. Let your friend know about this coverage and tell them that you are willing to help them recover.

Your policy is likely to cover anywhere between $100,000 to $300,000 in this kind of personal liability. This should be more than enough to handle the costs of their recovery. And just as importantly, it will protect your friendship by showing your friend that you care and will avoid friendship-ending lawsuits.

So if you have a dog that has bitten your friend, it is important to reach out to your insurance company to learn more about your policy. Thankfully, just about every policy should have a coverage for this kind of liability.