Dog-bite claims cost insurers over $489 million in 2012, accounting for more than a third of all homeowners insurance liability claim dollars paid out in the year, according to a study by the Insurance Information Institute and State Farm, but these claims could be prevented if pet owners pay attention to their own body language and signs from their furry best friends.

Melissa Berryman, a dog bite specialist who designed and teaches a safety and liability class for dog owners says, “Those claims can be financially hard on the homeowners and tragic for the dogs, which is especially troublesome when you know that bites aren't a 'bad dog' problem – they're a human ignorance problem.”

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