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Who pays if my dog runs away on New Year's Eve and causes an accident in Germany?

In short

Who pays if my dog runs away on New Year's Eve and causes an accident in Germany? You as the keeper, even without fault (section 833 BGB), and for you your dog liability insurance, which usually costs EUR 35 to 150 a year. Personal liability insurance does not cover dogs. In a crash with a car, the car's operating risk is weighed in. Liability cover never pays your own vet.

Who pays if my dog runs away on New Year's Eve and causes an accident in Germany?

What it costs

What dog liability insurance costs in Germany, from published tariff information.

ExampleTypical range
Basic tariff, often with a deductibleabout EUR 19 to 35 a year
Solid standard tariffabout EUR 46 to 70 a year
Premium tariffup to about EUR 195 a year
Listed breed (Listenhund)about EUR 100 to over EUR 230 a year

As of November 2026, from published tariff information.

The amounts and the ratio in the worked example are assumed guide values from our quoting

practice; in a dispute a court decides the shares based on the circumstances.

The list of states with a duty for all dogs follows the German insurers' association,

as of March 2026.

We obtain the exact quote.

Worked example

Dog breaks loose just before midnight, a car swerves

A firecracker goes off next to the pavement, the dog breaks loose and runs into the road. A driver swerves and clips a lamppost. The dog is hurt in the hind leg. All amounts and the ratio are assumed.

Car repairEUR 4,500
Hire car during repairEUR 300
Assumed driver's share from operating risk20 percent, so EUR 960
Dog liability insurance pays the driverEUR 3,840
Vet for your own dogEUR 1,200, not via liability cover

With dog liability insurance, the keeper pays nothing for the driver's loss, or only the deductible. Without it, EUR 3,840 would come out of their own pocket. The EUR 1,200 vet bill is theirs either way without dog health or surgery cover.

Why you are liable although the fireworks were to blame

German law does not ask about fault where dogs are concerned. If an animal injures a person or damages property, the keeper must pay. That is section 833 sentence 1 of the German Civil Code (BGB). It does not matter that your dog only bolted out of fear of a bang, that the lead snapped or that you did everything right. The exception in sentence 2 only applies to domestic animals that serve the keeper's profession, business or livelihood, so not to a family dog.

Whoever threw the firecracker may also be liable if they acted negligently (section 823 BGB). On New Year's Eve, that person can almost never be identified. So the injured party turns to you, and you turn to your dog liability insurance.

Accident with a car, bike or pedestrian

If the dog runs in front of a car, two forms of no-fault liability meet: yours as keeper and the vehicle keeper's for the operation of the car (section 7 of the Road Traffic Act, StVG). For this case, section 17 (4) StVG refers to weighing the circumstances: it depends on how far each side caused the damage. A driver who was too fast or inattentive therefore does not get everything paid. There is no fixed ratio.

With cyclists and pedestrians there is no operating risk to set off. Claims are usually for treatment, lost earnings and compensation for pain and suffering. These can be far higher than damage to a car, which is exactly what the sum insured is for.

What happenedWho pays
Car swerves to avoid the dog and hits an obstacleDog liability insurance, reduced by the driver's share depending on the weighing
Cyclist falls over the dogDog liability insurance: treatment, lost earnings, pain and suffering, bike
Dog is hit and injuredYou or your dog health or surgery insurance pay the vet; if the driver shares liability, his motor insurance pays a share
Dog breaks loose while a neighbour looks after it for freeKeeper's dog liability insurance, if private sitters are included
Dog wrecks a stranger's fence or door in panicDog liability insurance
Keeper has no dog liability insurancethe keeper personally, from their own assets

What dog liability insurance pays and what not

It pays what you owe others: repairs, treatment costs, lost earnings and compensation for pain and suffering. First it checks whether and how far you are liable and rejects unjustified claims. That is valuable in road accidents, where shares are almost always disputed.

Your own losses are not covered. If your dog is injured, you pay the vet unless you have dog health or surgery cover. No insurance pays fines. The insurer is also not liable for deliberate acts (section 103 VVG). A dog breaking loose on New Year's Eve is not deliberate.

Without dog liability cover it gets expensive

Personal liability insurance does not help. The model terms of the German insurers' association expressly exclude liability as a dog keeper; only looking after other people's dogs on a non-commercial basis is included. Without your own policy for the dog, you pay every claim yourself.

In seven federal states, dog liability insurance is compulsory for all dogs: Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia. In most other states the duty applies only to certain dogs. Liability under section 833 BGB applies everywhere, with or without a duty to insure.

How to prevent it on New Year's Eve

Category 2 fireworks may only be set off by adults on 31 December and 1 January (section 23 of the First Ordinance on the Explosives Act). In practice, people set them off before and after too. On these days, only go out on a lead with a well-fitting harness, take the last walk in the early evening and keep doors, windows and the garden gate shut.

Animals that could endanger traffic must be kept off the road (section 28 of the Road Traffic Regulations, StVO). Make sure your dog is microchipped and registered in a pet register with your current phone number. That will not prevent an accident, but it brings the dog back faster.

When you need nothing extra

If you already have dog liability insurance, accidents caused by your runaway dog are covered. There is no special New Year's Eve add-on, and you do not need one. Check two things only: whether the sum insured is high enough and whether people who look after the dog privately are included.

If you do not keep a dog but occasionally walk a friend's dog for free, your own personal liability insurance covers you under the model terms. Whether your tariff does the same is stated in your policy terms.

Step by step

  1. Secure the scene, help the injured and call the police (110) if anyone is hurt or damage is significant.
  2. Catch and secure the dog without stepping into traffic yourself.
  3. Note names, addresses, number plates and insurers, take photos, ask witnesses.
  4. Do not admit fault or promise payment; refer to your dog liability insurer.
  5. Report the accident to your insurer within one week.
  6. If the dog is still missing: inform police, animal shelter and the pet register.

Checklist

  • Dog liability insurance in place and premium paid
  • Sum insured at least EUR 10 million for injury and property damage
  • Private sitters such as neighbours and friends included
  • Dog microchipped and registered with a current phone number
  • Lead and harness checked before New Year's Eve
  • Policy number and claims address at hand

Common mistakes

  • Believing personal liability insurance also covers your own dog
  • Admitting full fault at the scene although the driver may bear a share
  • Not reporting the accident because a firecracker started it
  • Letting the dog into the garden or onto the street without a lead on New Year's Eve

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does dog liability insurance pay even though a firecracker scared the dog?

Yes.

Your liability as keeper does not depend on why the dog ran off.

The insurance pays the third party's loss.

Can I get the money back from whoever threw the firecracker?

Only if it is known who it was and that person acted negligently.

On New Year's Eve that rarely works.

Who pays the vet if my dog was hit by a car?

Initially you or your dog health or surgery insurance.

If the driver shares responsibility, you can claim that share from his motor liability insurer.

Do I have to pay although the car ran over my dog?

Possibly.

If the dog caused the accident, you are liable for the damage to the car,

minus the driver's share from operating risk and his own conduct.

The dog ran away from the dog sitter. Who is liable?

You remain liable as keeper.

Someone who took on supervision by contract is also liable if they were not careful (section 834

BGB).

Many tariffs include private sitters.

Do I need special cover for New Year's Eve?

No.

Existing dog liability insurance applies every day of the year.

What matters more is keeping the dog secured so it cannot run away.

Sources

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