“Naughty Doggy” – Insurance Companies Prohibited Dog List

The entire dog biting topic always has people taking sides on either side of an argument.  However, dog bites accounted for more than one-third of homeowner’s insurance liability claims paid in 2011, costing nearly $479 million in the U.S., according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I).

Why is that important to you?  Now that you are buying your new home, if you are like so many families, national insurance statistic show that you already have a dog or will probably bring one into your new home.  If you are financing that purchase, the lender requires that you have home owner’s insurance; as such, your insurance premiums will be directly affected by the type of dog that you own! 

In a recent USA Today article written by Tom Belz, it was pointed out that property casualty insurers pay out far more in claims for property damage to homes. But when it comes to liability, the cost of dog bite claims has risen 48 percent since 2003, even though the number of dog bites has remained roughly flat (according to III).

• State Farm, the largest writer of homeowners insurance in the U.S., paid more than $109 million on nearly 3,800 dog bite claims in 2011. In Oregon, the insurance company paid $937,493 on 62 claims in 2011. Oregon ranked 27th in amount of money paid out and had 21st in the nation for the number of dog bite claims.

The I.I.I’s analysis of homeowner’s insurance data found that the average cost of dog bite claims in the U.S. was $29,396 in 2011, up 53.4 percent from $19,162 in 2004. Medical costs and the sizes of settlements, judgments and jury awards given to plaintiffs have all outpaced inflation, the organization said.

According to Bob Skow, CEO of the I.I.I, kids are most often the bite victims! Skow said people should own dogs appropriate for where they live and train them properly, and parents should teach children how to avoid provoking dogs.

• There are 78.2 million dogs in the United States, according to the American Pet Products Association, one dog for every four people. “Statistically, the numbers have gone up at the same time that we’ve become more of an urban society,” Skow said.

Laws in 18 states, including Oregon, let dog owners off on liability for the dog’s first bite, but in others, including Iowa, an owner is liable for all damages caused by his dog, unless the person injured was committing a crime or trespassing, or unless the dog had rabies and the owner didn’t know it.

“Most insurance policies are going to put in their underwriting provisions that they’re not going to cover vicious dogs,” said Tom Alger, Iowa Insurance Division spokesman.

Further, according to local insurance broker, Amie Fernandez with Alternative Insurance Services, most insurance companies will not insure certain known aggressive breeds of dogs. No carrier will insure you for animal liability if your dog has a bite history.

Some companies will automatically cover animal liability or it can be added by endorsement, but not if you have one of the following breeds:

 

 

BREED		BREED
Akita		Giant Schnauzer
American Staffordshire Terrier		Husky
Bullmastiff		Pit Pull
Chow		Presa Canario
Dalmatian		Saint Bernard
Doberman Pinscher		Wolf Hybrid
Eskimo Spitz		* Any Mixed Breed Including
German Shepard	One of The Above Breeds

 

 

 

Some companies now offer the option to exclude animal liability coverage and still offer you property insurance. Still, there are companies that will out right deny clients any coverage if they own one of the above breeds.

 

Some companies will also not accept over a certain number of dogs in the household.

 

Per Ms. Fernandez, she urges every client to disclose any information regarding any pets immediately to their agent. Failure to do so can be construed as misrepresentation and result in a company denying a claim.

 

The reality is that most people love their dogs, and are highly responsible; however, you need to consider these facts when the time comes to buy your home and your home owner’s policy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the desk of Claudio Gormaz, First Time Home Buyer Specialist, with Golden Empire Mortgage

Direct:  951.294.2274; Fax: 951.220.6707; claudioalexis@verizon.net