PROTECT YOUR PET FROM CHEMICALS

Chemicals can make your dog very ill and some pets won’t survive exposure

Many people love to walk their dogs through parks, fields, and even their own neighborhood. However, they don’t think about the reality that their furry friends are absorbing harmful chemicals through their paws, which can have serious effects on their health and longevity.

This dog owner walks on the street but deliberately allows his dog onto chemically treated land that is heavily posted with warnings.

This dog walker must be pissed at his girlfriend because he walks his own dog safely on the pavement but walks her dog on treated grass.

A dog owner is behaving recklessly when a dog is deliberately walked on grass treated with pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals designed for plant and flower growth and pest control.

The paw pads of dogs are soft, permeable skin. The tenderness of a dog paw makes it highly susceptible to absorbing chemicals through a process called osmosis. This means that even if a dog is just walking around the street on its own, it could be ingesting or absorbing harmful substances that could affect its health or cause its death.

Whether your pet insurance company will cover damages when you as the owner, knowingly violate private property signs and lead your pet onto chemically treated property depends on a few key factors:

Pet Owner’s Liability Coverage: If the pet owner has pet liability insurance (often included in renters or homeowners insurance), the policy may cover damages or injuries caused by the pet. However, this may be limited to situations where the pet causes harm or damage to property. Your pet insurance does not protect your dog from walking on chemicals nor does it protect you from negligence.
Negligence and Trespassing: In the scenario where the pet owner knowingly violates signs, the issue of negligence comes into play. If the owner disregards warnings and causes harm to their own pet, the insurance company might argue that the pet owner is responsible for his or her own actions, especially if they intentionally exposed their pet to a hazardous situation.
Chemical Exposure: If the pet is harmed by the chemicals on the property, the situation might involve a claim for veterinary bills or pet injury, but again, whether the insurance covers it would depend on the specifics of the pet owner’s policy. Many insurance policies do not cover damage to animals, especially if the pet’s owner was negligent by knowingly violating property rules.
Video is a property owner’s best defense: The responsibility of walking an animal on land where chemicals permeate the pet’s paws falls on the owner. The law now includes “Contributary Negligence” where if the person seeking coverage, contributed to or was responsible for the incident – your pet policy does not have to pay.
There are no laws protecting you from being filmed in public: Hollywood actors are constantly complaining that they’re being filmed without authorization – NEWS FLASH: There is no expectation of privacy when one is in public. There are even less protections if you or your pet are on private property.

Whether your pet insurance will cover your pet’s damages depends on the specific circumstances and policies involved. However, if as the pet owner, your actions are deemed negligent, intentional or contributory, those circumstances will definitely affect the outcome of a claim.

Most properties are equipped with cameras that can provide video surveillance. Cameras make it even more difficult for a pet owner to avoid liability when either allowing their pet to roam free or deliberately allowing the animal on property that is heavily posted with signs. So, before taking your dog anywhere, make sure you are fully aware of the potential risks—and remember, your dog can’t read the signs, but you can!

What do you know about armadillos? They are very common in Florida. The transmission rate is low it’s been known that armadillo carry bacterium Mycobacterium leprae in their urine and bloodstream. Your dog can pick up leprosy by simply stepping somewhere an armadillo has urinated. That’s a fact!

Make sure to rinse your dog’s paws off every time you get home from a walk.