Pet-damage pricetag reaches $3 billion per year, study claims

When nearly half of the households in America have pets, tech lovers may want to keep a closer eye on Fido and Fluffy.

Dogs and cats alike are responsible for damaging over 8 million devices, costing their human owners nearly $3 billion dollars, a study that was released Wednesday revealed.

According to the study -- sponsored by insurance company SquareTrade -- two-thirds of all pet accidents are caused by the animal having the electronic device in their mouths. In addition, two-thirds of all accidents also occurred while their owners were not supervising them.

Bad boy!

But don’t be so quick to chide your pets: Seventeen percent of owners feel that their pets deliberately destroy their devices out of spite.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you should cuddle up with them either. The study warns that people who often have pets in their laps are four times more likely to have a pet-related damaged device. In fact, one in six dog or cat owners says that their pet has thrown up or gone to the bathroom on one of their devices.

Dog lovers might want to keep a closer eye on man’s best friend. SquareTrade’s study revealed that dogs are two times as likely to cause accidents or damage to your electronic device.