The Insurance Information Institute says in 2011 more than 478-million dollars was claimed in dog bite cases. Dog bites account for a third of all liability claims and certain insurers may refuse to offer you insurance if you own certain breeds of dog.
“Namely Pit Bulls, Presa Canarios, Mastiff Breeds, Rottweiler’s, Dobermans, there’s a history of those dogs on that list being more aggressive,” Craig Densely, an employee of Bear River Mutual Insurance tells KSL-TV. American Family, Nationwide and Farm Bureau Insurance, to name a few, all have similar lists.
Densley says his group prefers not to cancel anybody’s insurance, but the risk of insuring what’s considered a “vicious” dog is too great, even if an individual dog has no history of biting people.
“Those are the breeds that are more aggressive. They tend to be more protective of the property-and when you step onto that property, you run the risk of being attacked by an animal that thinks you’re a stranger, going to harm someone, or their property,” Densley says.
“Companies that do discriminate against dog breeds are literally tearing families apart,” Temma Martin, a spokesperson for the Utah Best Friends Animal Society in Utah says. She disagrees with agencies refusing to cover certain breeds and adds her own dog, a Pit Bull has been a loving member of her family for years and she has not experienced any problems.
Martin says, “I have a three year old child, they’re all best buddies. They sleep together, they cuddle. These dogs absolutely love him.”
Martin explains many of these dogs, which are refused coverage under their owners policy end up in shelters.
While some insurers worry about dog breeds, others aren’t so concerned.
One example is State Farm Insurance. Agent Bonita Vanderkooi says her agency will gladly cover dogs deemed by her industry as risky. But her agency will ask two questions before they agree to pay coverage.
“Have they bitten anyone is question number one, if so provide details. And then we also ask they have any of these dogs been trained for guard or attack purposes,” Vanderkooi says.
Bonita says her agency firmly believes training and temperament matter more so than the breed of the dog. But if there is one thing all sides on the issue can agree to, any dog has the potential to bite.
