Chewed dentures among 4,000 insurance claims for ‘damage by dog’

“THE dog ate my homework” may be a sad cliché, but one insurer has come close to receiving a claim for the hackneyed excuse.

Aviva said dogs had been a factor in nearly 4,000 accidental damage claims over the past five years, including one case when a pet dog broke a child’s laptop used for doing homework.

Other claims included a dog that ate its owner’s dentures and a nine-stone rottweiler that broke a mobile phone by standing on it.

Between the start of 2018 and the end of 2022, 3,825 claims handled by Aviva involved dogs, with an average cost of £1,200. Some claims cost more than £10,000 to put right, with the most expensive tending to involve jewellery and watches.

People also reported lost jewellery, hearing aids, watches and wallets while walking their dog, with one customer losing their wedding ring as they threw a ball for their pet. More than 100 claims were made for hearing aids eaten by dogs.

More unusual cases included a dog that fell into a family swimming pool and damaged the pool liner but not themselves; and one that burst a hot tub while jumping up at it.

One person removed their dentures and put them on the arm of their chair before falling asleep, only to find on waking that their dog had eaten them.

One dog knocked over a paint pot on a staircase and walked through the contents, leaving a trail of footprints on the carpet; another stained a sofa and carpet with ink after chewing through a pen; and another knocked an iron off an ironing board, causing a mark on a floor.

Kelly Whittington, property claims director at Aviva UK, said: “Many home insurance policies include an exclusion for damage caused by chewing, scratching, tearing or fouling by domestic animals. Cover may be provided under the optional personal belongings section, but it is important that customers check their policy wording and cover.”