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Although Salinas had general liability insurance, he didn’t have fire insurance — it would have more than tripled his premium costs, he said, to around $4,000 a year.

California law requires drivers to have minimum liability insurance that helps pay for injuries or damage that you cause to others.

"We had her neutered before the law came in; we had the liability insurance, we then thought we'd done all the Defra bits and pieces," said Mrs Moore.

Dogs that have been declared to be dangerous must be muzzled in public, and the owner is required to post warning signs and maintain liability insurance of at least $100,000.

They are also contributing to a spike in liability insurance rates that have more than tripled since the 2018-19 school year.