Dogs and Insurance

If you’re a dog lover, you probably look at your dog and think warm fuzzy thoughts. Your insurance company, on the other hand, probably sees danger signs.

This is especially true if the dog’s breed happens to be prohibited under homeowner’s insurance policies. Known by insurance companies as “aggressive dog list,” “dangerous dogs list” or simply “bad dog list” this list of prohibited dogs consists of breeds that are widely considered to be a financial risk to insurers.

According to the insurance information institute, claims related to injuries from dogs account for one-third of all homeowner liability dollars insurance companies pay out every year. In 2016, that figure was $602 million from more than 18,000 claims-an average of $33,000 per claim. That’s a lot of money.

This makes insurance companies wary of dogs that traditionally display a propensity for aggression, so homeowners whose dogs fall into that category will pay higher premiums. In some cases or. it may even be impossible to obtain coverage

In hopes of sparing you the awful decision of having to give away a member of your family or lose or be unable to get insurance, please consider what type of dog you are going to adopt. A little puppy is so cute but some are prohibited or restricted by homeowner policies. The insurance industry analysts identify aggressive dog by breed. This listing shows those that are widely considered the greatest financial risk. Although the list varies slightly by company the following appear on virtually every list. This includes purebred and mixed breeds. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, Doberman, Presa Canario and Chow Chows. Owners of these dogs may feel it is unfair because dogs have different personalities. Unfortunately many dogs don’t show aggressive behavior until the day they attack. If you are pet shopping and don’t want have some future problems with getting or keeping insurance, ask us for the current list of unacceptable dogs from your company before you purchase or rescue a dog.