Our best advice for pet lovers is to call your insurance agent before buying your next dog. Why? Are you sitting down? Your insurance company might drop you if you select the wrong breed. Seriously. It’s the truth.
This raises a few common questions from our fellow animal lovers:
- Why are certain breeds blacklisted?
- Which breeds may cause me to be ineligible for home insurance?
Let’s go ahead and tackle one of these at a time.
Why are certain breeds blacklisted?
Is the insurance industry suddenly suffering from Cynophobia, an abnormal fear of dogs? No, in fact, many insurance company employees view their dogs as members of the family! So, why are certain breeds uninsurable then? Simply put, it comes down to dollars and cents.
Did you know that in 2014, one out of every three homeowners claims involved a dog bite? The average claim is over $30,000 and some juries have awarded lawsuits as high as 2.2 million. YIKES! In fact, that comes out to about $450 million dollars each and every year. The interesting thing is that it only comes down to handful of dog breeds, usually anywhere from 10-14 depending on the carrier.
Just pretend for a moment that you were responsible for writing those checks to the victims out of your personal pocket. How long would it take for you to disqualify certain breeds from coverage?
Now you can see why there is a list of dangerous dogs in the insurance industry. This fact leads us to our next question:
Which breeds may cause me to be ineligible for home insurance?
- Pit Bull Terriers
- Staffordshire Terriers
- Rottweilers
- German Shepherds
- Presa Canarios
- Chows Chows
- Doberman Pinschers
- Akitas
- Wolf-hybrids
- Mastiffs
- Cane Corsos
- Great Danes
- Alaskan Malamutes
- Siberian Huskies
What if I have a mixed breed dog?
Usually, if you have a dog that is partially mixed with one of these listed above, they are considered aggressive by the insurance companies.
What if my dog would never hurt a fly?
Unfortunately, while you know and trust your dog with your life, insurance companies don’t and many will not take a chance. They feel that if they wait until a dog bites someone it would be too late to do anything about it then.
If I own one of these dogs does that mean I am not eligible for home insurance?
Each state and each insurance company differ. For example, some will stick to their version of the list no matter what. Other times, they may allow you to be insured, but any dog bite claims will not be covered. Sometimes there may even be a carrier that will cover your favorite dog breed.
In the end, the only way to find out is to pick up the phone and talk to one of your local InsuranceHub agents. They are standing by right now to answer your questions regarding how your specific dog breed will impact your insurability. They are looking forward to helping you find the options you need.