Violent Dogs Increase Homeowners Insurance
Posted by: info | June 11, 2007
Insurance companies have incurred great financial losses due to violent animals in the last few years. The number of lawsuits have increased dramatically in the last decade, animal bites and injuries are one of the growing reasons for cases in courtrooms. Homeowners insurance rates are being affected by the growing number of animal lawsuits.
Before deciding on a new animal, check with your homeowners insurance company to see if your rates will go up. Insurance companies can raise rates, deny or drop coverage to homeowners who choose to own a violent dog.
A violent dog is considered a breed of canine known to cause serious injury or death. Leading these breeds are pit bulls. Pit bulls have been associated with fighting and violence. Here is a partial list of some of the dogs considered violent by homeonwers insurance companies. Source: III
- Pit Bulls
- Rottweiler
- German Shepherd
- Siberian Husky
- Alaskan Malamute
- Doberman Pinscher
- Chow
- Great Dane
- Saint Bernard
Keep in mind that there are many other canines that can be considered violent as well. Pit bulls seem to be the most known breed to cause serious injury or death. And most insurance companies will raise your rates or deny coverage to homeowners who decide to raise pits.
Please inform your insurance company of any potential violent canine you have or get. The worst thing a homeowner can do, is try and keep the dog away from the insurance company. A lot of people will not inform their insurance company that they have a violent breed of dog to maintain lower rates. This is very wrong and can end up damaging you financially.
If you fail to inform your insurance company of the violent dog, they may choose not to pay out claims filed in association with this dog. If the dog gets out, hurts somebody, or a child tries to pet it and gets hurt, the owner is responsible for the entire injury. It may be possible to lose everything in certain injuries or deaths. Just be cautious before taking on a violent animal and make sure you have proper training and facilities to accommodate.
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