Tom Parker Bowles

Our monthly premium with PetPlan has just gone up by 25% even though we’ve only made one claim in seven years ( and that was five years ago). We queried it and they say vets bills have gone up by 25%. But inflation is 3.6 %!

Kind of glad I no longer have a dog My last one was the gentlest, kindest mongrelyou could ever meet No she wasn’t crossbreed as nothing was planned, she was just a most loving and pretty Heinz 57 ….if I had her now I would have had to pay thousands and she would be be called a collidoodle or labraolly or something such made up tripe

It was a Staffie that ran out of a garden and tried to kill my dog but previous attacks have been by a Jack Russell, a Border Terrier and a French Bulldog. I was bitten by a Jack Russell when I was delivering leaflets.

The other side of the story, perhaps? I bought a dog from Battersea - he weighed as much as I did at the time. He was a lovely natured dog, but before I had got 100 yds along the street my legs were wrapped in the lead of a lady walking a very excitable yappy toy poodle who ran up to us. I was carrying an old fashioned type shopping basket which I clouted the poodle with. Its owner was shouting that I should have controlled MY dog.
No further problems on the bus, underground and main roads, even with lots of strangers petting without warning and even cats wandering around
Walking down my home street, a russell jumped his garden wall and flew at him, and ended up being lifted and shaken by this lovely patient dog. A peke did the same further down, and got a torn ear for its pains. Peke was unleashed and out on the footpath. Who was at fault? I got a lot of flack, and you might suppose that he was a dangerous dog, but he was minding his own business and behaving well until accosted.
As a dog owner for 40 years, I find that it is the Russells, cogis, Pekes, and toy poodles of the world who are often the aggressors - the problem is that, they are seldom killers because of their size, but any larger dog who retaliates can cause significant damage because of their size rather than their nature

Smileless2012

I thought these dogs had to be certified as 'safe' by a vet and always muzzled when out.

So did l. Thought the law had been changed. Not a big dog lover but this was a terrible incident.

There’s an excess with pet insurance like any other. Anything that’s not covered is laid out clearly in the schedule.
You pays yet money, you takes yer chance!

My take on insurance of any kind is that you’re always insured until you make a claim. I made the only claim on my house insurance that I’ve ever made in nearly fifty years and it was like the Spanish Inquisition. In the end I complained about the way I was spoken to and received an apology. And my dog had a very expensive operation but when I read the small print I wasn’t covered as I had year insurance not life insurance.

butterandjam

TerriBull

I think a lot of pet owners would have pet insurance, but there will be exclusions and excesses. Claims through the fault of someone else are bound to affect the premiums, I wonder how many would be prepared to stump up in such cases. Owning a pet is very expensive these days from the pov of vets' bills from what I gather.

Terribull, you very clearly know nothing about pet insurance .

Well that's told me! Loving the curt ripostes B&J you do seem to have the slight air of someone who might enjoy starting an argument in an empty room. Pardon moi for my ignorance about pet insurance, clearly I have an amazing lack of knowledge in the matter. Never mind, I'm seeing my son tomorrow who does have a dog with pet insurance and how can I put it, I can probably ask him without getting such an arsey, wrap on the knuckles terse response. Maybe go and spread your butter and jam they seem to have gone off on someone else's toast.

Bit of victim blaming there

You know him personally then ?

You know him then?

TerriBull

I think a lot of pet owners would have pet insurance, but there will be exclusions and excesses. Claims through the fault of someone else are bound to affect the premiums, I wonder how many would be prepared to stump up in such cases. Owning a pet is very expensive these days from the pov of vets' bills from what I gather.

Terribull, you very clearly know nothing about pet insurance .

Simple - All dogs should be muzzled. You never know what may startle a docile dog which could make it turn and bite.

I have a JR. Whenever we see a large dog I always pick her up. Not that I'm necessarily scared the larger dog will attack but I know what she'll do. She goes mad at the sight of a large dog. Shows her teeth, looks mean and angry, pretending she's a Rottweiler.

She is fine with all other dogs, but anything bigger than a Labrador and she turns into a crazed beast.

No amount of training has drummed this out of her so we just take preventative action.

Very pleased this chap's pup was OK

butterandjam

Allira

Of course it's TPB prerogative to not prosecute, but there will be dog owners maybe not as affluent as him who haven been left with a hefty vets bill, or worse still a much loved animal, so badly injured they have to be put down.
Tom Parker Bowles has said he had pet insurance, which is a good idea.

terribull has already been informed TPB was fully covered by his pet insurers, described by him as extremely efficient.

And your point is?

Allira

^Of course it's TPB prerogative to not prosecute, but there will be dog owners maybe not as affluent as him who haven been left with a hefty vets bill, or worse still a much loved animal, so badly injured they have to be put down.^
Tom Parker Bowles has said he had pet insurance, which is a good idea.

terribull has already been informed TPB was fully covered by his pet insurers, described by him as extremely efficient.

lazydays

You should not pick your dog up.
Sad but the dog could attack you

When you’re a dog owner your first thought is for your dog, not yourself. We do sometimes pick our dog up if another dog charges at us, it does, at least, make the owner of the other dog realise there’s a problem. What I don’t understand is the way that owners of off lead dogs that allow them to run up to on lead dogs are not aware of how many dogs are reactive. So they’re actually putting their own dog at risk.

You should not pick your dog up.
Sad but the dog could attack you

To be honest all larger dogs can be a threat to small dogs simply due to their size and not all dogs have to be muzzled. That being said I had a smallish dog, about a parson jack russell size and for some reason he decided he was king of all dogs. He would try to attack any dog, so he was muzzled right from the start. He was fine with my dogs (both females, a JRT and a lab/doberman cross) and not a problem with people or cats at all but it was my responsibilty to ensure that he couldn't hurt any other animals and I took that seriously.

Caleo

Sago

Nannylovesshopping

tbh, he should have picked his dog up very quickly as soon as he spotted the other dog!

Victim blaming!

He should be able to walk his dog without having to worry about these out of control vicious breeds.

It is not victim-blaming. It is defending one's nearest and dearest where the police are unable to control dangerous dog owners.

I do not know whether or not Nanny's advice is practical or not however most dogs and dog owners are safe and need to defend ourselves against those who are dangerous.

Of course it’s victim blaming, you should be able to walk a dog without fear of attack.
To say TBP should have picked up his dog is tantamount to saying he should have crossed the road,waited until later to go out.
Simply the handler should have been strong enough to handle the animal, have had a muzzle and perhaps not have chosen busy KHS.

I once picked my dog when a large bull terrier came running towards her, the owner verbally assaulted me to such a degree a bystander called the Police.
Apparently I shouldn’t have judged his dog as it only wanted to play.

You cannot win.

It’s good advice not to pick your dog up, you don’t want a big dog leaping at you and knocking you down.
I hear about the problem a lot from friends with dogs who are getting afraid of taking their dog out for exercise as so many dogs off leads race up to them.So much so that it’s put me off now getting a dog, think it will be a cat instead.

I read the article and was appalled ,but nothing is being done to stop this .

I visit an elderly lady,
who was exceptionally kind to my mother.
She used to look after two grandchildren and their pet Akita full time.
The dog was dangerous and unpredictable.
People stopped visiting.
One day,the Akita almost savaged to death a neighbour's toy dog .
It recovered,but only just.
The Police were called ,but nothing ďone about it.
But I couldn't understand this lady's attitude .
She dismissed the whole event and said that the dog's owner was irresponsible walking past HER house !

Sago

Nannylovesshopping

tbh, he should have picked his dog up very quickly as soon as he spotted the other dog!

Victim blaming!

He should be able to walk his dog without having to worry about these out of control vicious breeds.

It is not victim-blaming. It is defending one's nearest and dearest where the police are unable to control dangerous dog owners.

I do not know whether or not Nanny's advice is practical or not however most dogs and dog owners are safe and need to defend ourselves against those who are dangerous.

I think a lot of pet owners would have pet insurance, but there will be exclusions and excesses. Claims through the fault of someone else are bound to affect the premiums, I wonder how many would be prepared to stump up in such cases. Owning a pet is very expensive these days from the pov of vets' bills from what I gather.

Of course it's TPB prerogative to not prosecute, but there will be dog owners maybe not as affluent as him who haven been left with a hefty vets bill, or worse still a much loved animal, so badly injured they have to be put down.
Tom Parker Bowles has said he had pet insurance, which is a good idea.