Why? One reason is that new research documents how difficult it is to identify the breed of a dog based on looks, says Kara Holmquist, MSPCA-Angell’s director of advocacy. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center MSPCA-Angell) is similarly opposed to insurance companies and policies that target specific dog breeds. that doesn’t necessarily mean the dog is aggressive or dangerous.” What caused State Farm to implement this policy, which has been in place for a number of years and extends to all 50 states? Dundov responds that the insurer doesn’t focus on breed because “determining the breed of a dog based on the physical appearance of the dog isn’t an accurate determination of risk, because any dog may bite out of fear. Why do some homeowners policies blacklist certain dog breeds? Also, isn’t that a bad idea? These insurers usually only look at an individual dog’s bite history and history of aggressiveness, rather than its breed, when deciding to extend homeowners liability coverage to someone. In particular, the following carriers are known to insure dog breeds that some of their competitors have “blacklisted”: Not all insurance companies operate like Liberty Mutual–as well as Farmers and Allstate–in this regard, it has to be said. Which home insurance companies don’t discriminate based on dog breed? If they do not meet our acceptability guidelines, we may choose not to write the policy.” However, “some dog breeds will require further review. “The presence alone of a dog in the home will not result in policy denial or exclusion of liability coverage,” he adds. Also, considerations are made if the pet in question is a service or therapy dog. Specifically, Liberty Mutual considers any “training the dog has received, the temperament of the dog, any prior losses, and vaccinations,” Greenberg says. Still, he adds, it sometimes reviews the listed breeds “for homeowners insurance acceptability because pose increased risk of loss.” The company “does not refuse to provide homeowners coverage, or require the exclusion of homeowners liability coverage, solely based upon dog breed,” explains Glenn Greenberg, the company’s director of media relations and sponsorship PR. #PROPERTY GENERAL LIABILITY AND PET WEIGHT LIMIT PLUS#Liberty Mutual actually looks for all of these breeds, plus “Canary dogs” also known as Perro de Presa Canario), when reviewing applications for home insurance. Speaking of which, the dog breeds listed below tend to make insurance companies the most nervous. Or they drop coverage or raise premiums if a customer’s dog attacks and injures someone. Others exclude certain breeds from a homeowner’s policy, or require homeowners to sign liability waivers for any bites that occur. Which dog breeds worry insurance carriers the most or which dogs do insurers like the least)?Ĭombine the above with information that points to a handful of dog types accounting for more of those costly bites and injuries than others and it’s easy to understand why some insurers restrict, refuse, or cancel home coverage if a customer owns a certain breed. In fact, the Insurance Information Institute III) and State Farm recently revealed that US homeowners filed more than 15,000 of these claims in 2015.Īlso, insurers spent approximately $570 million as a result of those claims, and that sum equaled a third of all homeowner-liability dollars paid out that year.Īlthough the number of home insurance claims tied to dog-related injuries in 2015 was the lowest since 2007, their combined value and their average cost just over $37,000) represent record highs for the industry.Īs for what caused those spikes, Loretta Worters, III’s vice president of communications, suggests they were spurred by “increased medical costs as well as the size of settlements, judgments, and jury awards given to plaintiffs, which are still on the upswing.” Well, that and the similarly startling stats that show Americans file tens of thousands of home insurance liability claims due to dog bites and other dog-related injuries each year. That last statistic surely is what’s prompted a portion of the insurance industry-home insurance providers, especially-to turn a wary eye toward “man’s best friend.” And one-fifth of those bites are serious enough to require medical attention. Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that dogs bite about four and a half million people annually. After all, those pooches injure a lot of people every year. Impressive, right? Some might describe that figure as kind of alarming, too. Almost 78 million of those pets are dogs. Sixty-five percent of US households have a pet, according to the 2015-2016 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association. This guide will help you get a policy and affordable rate) regardless. Shopping for home insurance can be a challenge if you have a dog–especially if its breed is seen as dangerous.
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