NEW YORK CITY–Americans are keeping 60% more cats and dogs than 20 years ago, but those cats and dogs are still lost and found at about the same rate–a finding which suggests that the advent of microchip identification has not appreciably increased the rate of recovery of lost pets. Rather, micro-chip identification might merely have augmented or supplanted the use of more traditional identification methods such as collars, dogtags, and tattoos among the pets of people who have always tried to identify their pets. Read more

Top non-breed-specific insurer pays record sum to settle dog bite claims in 2011

LOS ANGELES–State Farm Insurance,  believed to be the largest U.S. home insurer that does not enforce breed-specific restrictions on what dogs it will cover,  in 2011 paid 9% more dog bite claims than in 2010,  and paid out 21% more money to settle the claims,  spokesperson Eddie Martinez told media on May 16,  2012.

State Farm in 2011 paid out $109 million to settle 3,800 dog bite claims nationwide,  up from $90 million paid out in 2010 to settle about 3,500 dog bite claims,  Martinez disclosed.  The Insurance Information Institute estimated that all U.S. home insurers combined paid out nearly $479 million to settle dog bite claims in 2011,  spokesperson Loretta Worters told Sue Manning of Associated Press–a 16% increase from $413 million in 2010. Read more