Naughty dogs caused 800 insurance claims in the UK last year

One Labradane accidentally flooded his owner’s kitchen after turning on a tap

The average claim was for more than £1,000 worth of damage (Getty Images)

Accidental damage caused by naughty dogs accounted for more than 800 pet-related insurance claims in the past year.

Insurance provider Aviva has revealed that incidents involving dogs resulted in claims of an average value of around £1,100.

Such incidents included carpets, TVs and laptops being chewed up by canines, items being knocked over and possessions lost during dog walks.

One person’s kitchen was almost destroyed after a young Labradane managed to turn on the cold water tap of the kitchen while his owners were out.

Whiskey, a Labrador and Great Dane cross, caused around £4,000 of damage by accidentally flooding the room.

According to Aviva, the house’s security camera captured Whiskey wearing a “hangdog expression” after realising the consequences of his actions.

One dog flooded a kitchen by turning on a tap (PA)

Some owners were forced to take out a claim after being tripped up by their dogs and causing damage to their belongings.

In one example, a dog tripped up their owner who was carrying a drink – which subsequently landed on his expensive electric keyboard.

In another incident, a dog because excited after seeing another dog on TV. He jumped up at the screen and knocked the set off its stand.

One woman was cleaning out her fish tank and had buckets of water on the floor, close to where her laptop was charging. Her dog ran past, caught the charging cable and pulled the laptop into a bucket.

Other incidents have involved a dog knocking over a bucket of bleach while a woman was cleaning, an antique barometer being knocked off a wall and a dog knocking a pot of paint off a windowsill.

According to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association, 2.1 million people bought a new pet during the pandemic. It estimates that there are 12.5 million pet dogs in the UK.

“Dogs are beloved members of millions of UK homes. They get involved in all aspects of family life – and our possessions are sometimes on the receiving end,” Kelly Whittington, UK property claims director for Aviva said.

“Most home insurance policies have exclusions for damage caused by chewing, scratching, tearing or fouling by domestic animals, so we’d urge customers to check their cover.

“But as our records show, there are plenty of dog-related incidents where home insurance – and particularly accidental damage cover – can come to the rescue.”