According to the article “£14,000 compo after dog caused bicycle crash”, people need to accept responsibility for the actions of their pets. It points out that you can never really tell what lies in wait for you around the corner and so the sensible thing to do is to take out some pet insurance.
Nothing could make more sense if you have a pet, especially after reading about the ex-RAF pilot, Ken MacLennan (65) from Malmesbury, who had to take six months off work to recover from an accident involving somebody else’s pet dog.
The ex-pilot had suffered a broken pelvis after a dog off the lead collided with his bicycle in the Badminton Estate (May 2006). After taking the owner to court, MacLennan won damages to the tune of £14,000 in compensation. Luckily, the owner (who has not been named) had the aforethought to take out pet insurance and was able to claim on that to cover the costs.
Owners are completely responsible for the actions of their pets and should make sure they have insurance just in case the unthinkable happens. Owners of dogs should ensure their animals are trained not to chase cyclists and to run wild off the lead or otherwise keep them on their leads.