A Little Heroine and the Necessity of Insurance

In the south of Sweden, a Chihuahua heroine is at the animal hospital, recovering from fighting off a dog claimed to be an American Staffordshire who suddenly attacked her Chihuahua friend. If it was not for this heroine, the other Chihuahua would be dead, according to the news reports.

The biggest problem is not the injuries suffered by the Chihuahua, but the huge veterinary bill after more than athree weeks at the hospital. Dog owners in Sweden have strict liability for damages caused by their dogs, but nobody seems to take responsibility for the actions of the attacking dog. The owner of the Chihuahua says to the press that she has not got the money to pay for the veterinary bill.

I am sad to say I am not surprised that no human takes responsibility for the attack. This is exactly what happened to our friend Kesshi, when he had been attacked by a Jack Russel Terrier the other year. The owners of that Terrier refused to take any responsibility and did not even have any money that could have paid for damages, had they lost in court. What makes me surprised, though, is that the owner of the dog says she cannot pay for the veterinary bill. The owner is a breeder, as such she should know the importance of insuring her dogs against any and all bad things that might happen to them. Our humans do.

The primary source of money for paying the hospital bill must be the assets of the dog owner, but if the dog owner lacks the funds necessary, the secondary source would be the dog's own insurance. I would gladly help the little heroine at the animal hospital, if that would involve claiming money from the owner of the attacking dog. I would not, however, help if the help would mean paying for the veterinary bill because the Chihuahua owner did not have her dogs properly insured. If this is the case, I do feel sorry for the injured Chihuahua, but not for her owner.