Dangerous Dog Breeds Insurance Risks

When getting your homeowners insurance, the breed of dog you have may actually change your premium rates or even disqualify certain aspects of the policy. Some of the more vicious breeds of dogs such as pit bulls, rotweilers, doberman pinschers and even chows may actually be a liability that insurance companies would prefer not to cover. Some states are even considering making pet liability insurance mandatory for all pet owners.

Dangerous Dog Breeds? May Be Denied Insurance

How this happens is interesting. The liability is created by having a certain type of dog that is statistically more likely to bite someone than other breeds. If that dog ever bit someone while he or she was on your property, the injury could quite conceivably fall into the “liability” category. And despite all of the other precautions taken to secure and protect your home and the people inside it, like good locks, alarms, safe construction etc., the simple fact that you own a particular type of dog could potentially put the entire homeowners contract at risk.

Controversy

Several people are outraged that their dogs are categorized into a vicious group of uninsurable dogs without taking into account the competency of the owners. Many say that even a small “non-vicious” can bite a person if not trained properly. And still others question the reliability of the studies and data that insurance companies claim to rely on when setting premium rates for high-risk breeds of dog.

Take Steps to Counter the Risk

Show the insurance company that you are serious about keeping your “high-risk” dog at bay, safely secluded away from the neighborhood and any potential visitors. High fences and safety collars can make a world of difference in lowering the risk of a liability problem.

How to Avoid the Problem

If you don’t want to deal with this potential homeowners insurance problem, you can always get a low-risk dog. Mixed breeds tend to be perfect, and there is always a nice variety of mutts around. Plus, local shelters are typically overrun with dogs and many of them are not categorized as high-risk. Or you can get a certain type of specialized breed which has not been placed on the insurance companies’ blacklist. And if you absolutely don’t want to give up your high-risk dog, just make sure the dog never gets the chance to hurt anyone and thereby create a claim that may not be covered. A little prevention can save a lot of heartache and money.

Dangerous Dog Breeds? May Be Denied Insurance

• High-risk dogs typically bite more and have more claims associated with them
• Many think it is an unfair insurance practice, but it’s growing
• Avoid the problem with a low-risk dog
• Safely contain any high-risk dog to avoid expensive claims that won’t be honored

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Pet Insurance

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dangerous, dog breeds, home insurance

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