Insurance Companies Fear Dog Attacks
Posted by
Susy OwenMarch 08, 2007 5:31 PMDo you own a dog breed that has a high incidence of being dangerous and/or biting? If you do, you may be blacklisted by your insurance company. It seems that insurance companies are making coverage decisions based on the type of dog you have on your property.
Some of the dogs listed by various insurance companies are German Shephards, Dobermans, Akitas, Pit Bulls and Rottweilers. Based on the records, they fear there will have a high incidents of dog attacks involving these particular breeds.
Dawn Howard, of Bolingbrook, Illinois, said she never would have believed such a thing until her insurance company, Allstate, increased her premium solely because, as her agent said, "You own a breed with high incidence of being dangerous and biting."
Although it goes without saying that not everybody is happy with the blacklisting, according to the Insurance Institute, in 2005, dog bites cost insurers $317.2 million. Insurance companies are in the business of making money, and they have to weigh risks with being reasonable to their customers. It would stretch the imagination to consider $317.2 a reasonable cost.