At the request of sheep producers across the country, the American Sheep Industry Association recently unveiled a new risk prevention tool – Working Dog Liability Insurance.
Working Dog Liability Insurance is for livestock producers who use guardian dogs to protect their livestock from predators or other risks and herding dogs to assist in the management of their flock.
Frequently, producers have no liability protection from incidents related to guardian and herding dogs as most farm and ranch insurance policies exclude working dogs or dogs that “may show aggressive tendencies.” Livestock producers can be at risk for liability claims, such as dog bites, property loss or damage caused by working dogs. Even if your dog does what it is trained and supposed to do, if a third party is harmed, the livestock or dog owner could be liable.
WDLI was created by and for the livestock industry to assist with these claims. It provides $50,000 of liability per incident and $100,000 annual aggregate.
The coverage is only available to members of a state sheep association and is sold by the agency and insurance company owned by the sheep industry – Food and Fiber Risk Mangers and Bear Lake Insurance Company.
Additional information is available at www.workingdogliabilityinsurance.com or by emailing Burdell Johnson at bjohnson@fafrm.com.
Source: American Sheep Industry Newsletter
