Homeowners Insurance and your dog - Page 2

Funny thing about this insurance thing and the word, "Schutzhund". I have an attorney friend that said if one of my dogs trained in this disipline bit someone in one spot and held on, I would stand a much better chance in court than someone with a dog who had "no training" and fear bit someone with "typewriter" type biting all over, causing multiple and disfiguring wounds. Stephen

Hodie, most of the bites caused by small dogs are never reported because the dogs are not large enough to cause serious damage; and there are some really dumb small dog owners who think it is funny, cute, excusable, etc. when the five-pounder bites someone's finger or hand. If that same dog bit a small child's face it would be very tragic. I agree that we and our dogs must all be good ambassadors. And we owners must be responsible to keep our dogs in control at all times even if it means placing a muzzle on one in certain situations. At my kennel there is a double fence so that no one can even stick a finger near a dog. Overkill? Maybe, but it places me more at ease. We have to only see the many issues faced by the owners of pit bull terriers in different parts of the USA. A city close to where I live is considering an ordinance to ban the legal ownership of pit bull terriers unless the dog is AKC-registered; saying that the AKC dogs are "purebred dogs who are not purchased and/or raised for fighting." Personally, I think this is a dumb way to pass dumb legislation. We must keep our dogs under control and protect them as much as we hope they would ever protect us. Bob-O

Bob-O, Statistics, though far from perfect, show that large, mixed breed dogs are accountable for most bites, but many studies also rank the GSD, rottie and Pit Bull at the top for non-fatal bites (as well as for fatalities). Of course, small dogs can bite and do bite. Statistics can be misleading, of course, for one reason because dogs are often misidentified. None the less, it is the larger dogs who cause the most damage and are most reported in the literature. As for Pit Bulls, Denver, CO has an ordinance. It is simply illegal to own and keep one in the city, period. No one gives a damn about registration and in if you are quoting the proposed legislation in your area correctly, to say an AKC registered pit is ok, is ludicrous. Do not get me wrong, I am not for breed specific legislation at all, but someone has their head somewhere dark if that really is what the proposed ordinance says. AKC registration means nothing, as we all know. As for your fence, I personally do not consider it overkill, especially if you are located in a residential area.

Hodie, I am with you 100%. You can always be counted on for factual and impartial information.

I had SAR dogs and that was not good enough for insur companies so the other certs and titles I doubt would make a difference either. I was with Nationwide for 6 years, I had them come out to raise my insurence due to an addition on the house two weeks later I get a cancelation of policy letter the guy that had come out reported to his company I had rottweilers long story short no matter the service I had with them or the fact that they were sound in temperment and that was a proven ie public service and certs I was screwed I ended up having to pay another two hundred a year with another company. I relocated to my new home in inother state and had a worse time of it as very few companies insure 300 year old pre civil war stone homes add to that companies that allow my breeds. I ended up having to send my last remaining rott home to va with an old sar friend and saying my gsd was an alsation as stated above just to get insurence! All I see this doing is giving the dogs a worse time in the statistics as then the only people able to have these breeds will be renters until landlords find out they have them that is they get dumped or have to find new home. Alot of states will not look at passing a law against ins companies for this practice as they are most likly using it as a back door way to ban breeds without looking like the bad guy IMO. I was naive thinking getting my rotts into sar would help the public image in view of the breed and secure for them a peace of existance in the public eye. As long as news reports improperly showing gsds, rottweilers..... on photos while saying dog attack in the headlines and it not even being a picture of the actual attacking dog or even at times breed that actually did the bite, and as long as we are not allowed to socialize our dogs much do to ever shrinking allowable areas to bring them with us, we will forever have the growing problem. I love my rottweilers too along side my gsds and I got tired of being made feel like the worst criminal because I had them each time I took them out in public to the point I could not even enjoy a stroll and they were marshmellows ... well behaved ones......Since I have been in my new home. I have noticed how many places that used to allow dogs have stopped soon they will not be allowed out of your yard then how many bites will there be? Never will they be looked at as an individual dog, minds are made in stone and deaf ears will not hear how well trained a dog is, or how good the temperment is, whenever they see schutzhund decals and photos and all they ever see are sleeve bites and never the obedience or tracking too? They do not know it is a game they only see teeth in direct contact with a human and the ignorance will come forward in fear against the dogs.

Erie Insurance company came to our house and met our dog (GSD) to "evaluate" the temperment, then we were accepted. USAA asked if we had a rottie or a pit bull, we said no and they insured us.

Question. I have been insured by USAA for over 25 years. They have been out to my home 2 or 3 times to appraise damage(weather related/fire), and have never said a thing about the dogs. The only comment was "nice looking dogs" as they ran the perimeter of the property. There as been no evaluation of temperaments, no questions, ect. I don't plan on calling them and opening up a can of worms, BUT would you think the situation would be IF, someone got bit by one of my dogs? Stephen

As a former State Farm and Allstate licensed agent, I can tell you exactly what they will do. IF the dog bites they may: 1) Your liability claim will be denied; 2) Your liability claim will be paid and the further liability will then be excluded from then on; 3) Your insurance will be cancelled if you have been dishonest on your homeowners insurance application; 4) They will tell you they will only continue to insure you if you remove the liability issue from your property (get rid of your dogs) It's really stupid, but lawyers in this country have made everything this way. I do not agree with the policies, but that's the way it goes.

Thanks VomFelsenHof. I have not been dishonest and denied I have dogs, but even with the new home we just moved into a year ago, USAA has never asked me about dogs on my property. It has never come up and I have never given it a second thought, until I started reading this thread. Stephen

SGBH said: Lawyers arent the problem that is just a rightwing talking point:)