IA Newsletter, October 2012

Home Insurance for Dog Owners
By Insure.com

In This Newsletter
Dog Owners

 Contact Us

Click to email us!
Kyle	Josh	Kevin

Referrals Insurance Advisors believe that a referral from an existing customer or business partner is the ultimate reward for a job well done. If you have received excellent service and amazing value from  Insurance Advisors, please pass our contact info on to your friends, family, and co-workers. We promise to provide the same great service that you have become accustomed to. Plus for the referral we will send you a gift card as a thank you! IA Team

Depending on what breed of dog you own, where you live and your insurance company, it could be difficult to buy a Home Insurance Policy that includes liability for your dog.

Roughly 39 percent of American households have at least one dog, according to The Humane Society of the United States. But as the costs of dog-bite litigation spiral, some home insurance companies are refusing to write coverage for owners of certain breeds. According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), dog-bite claims account for more than one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claims, costing insurers about $479 million in 2011, up 16 percent from the previous year.

While there might not be an industry-wide "blacklist" of breeds, it's best to check with your agent before you buy certain dog breeds. According to the Lester Kalmanson Agency Inc. — which sells liability insurance to owners of dogs commonly identified as "dangerous breeds" — the list could include:

• Pit bulls
• Rottweilers
• Chow chows
• German shepherds
• Siberian huskies
• Alaskan malamutes
• Doberman pinschers
• Presa Canario bulldogs
• Great Danes
• Boxers
• Akitas
• Wolf-hybrids

Some home insurance companies have lists of breeds and crossbreeds they will not insure; other insurers consider such breeds on a case-by-case basis, or charge more for certain "biting" breeds such as pit bulls. Some home insurers require dog owners to sign liability waivers for dog bites.

In Michigan and Pennsylvania, it's illegal for home insurers to deny coverage simply because a home has a dog of a particular breed, according to III.

Dog bite history
Some companies will ask "Do you own a vicious dog?" on homeowner insurance applications. Previous dog-bite incidents will show up on your claims history, which insurers check before issuing a policy. Some insurers will consider whether an attack was provoked or unprovoked, but it depends on the dog's history.

But other insurers may cancel or refuse to renew an existing home insurance policy, decline your application for a new one or attach an exclusion for the dog to the policy — if your dog has even one attack in its history. The exclusion means the insurance policy would not cover any liability claims caused by the dog, making you personally responsible for any medical bills or lawsuits stemming from your dog's actions.

Prevention is the best way to avoid home insurance claims
About 50 percent of dog bites occur on the dog owner's property. The best way to make sure your home insurance won't get cancelled is by preventing an attack. Spaying and neutering a dog can improve its disposition, especially with male dogs.

Don't put your dog in situations where it will be threatened or teased. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, man's best friend bites more than 4.7 million people in the U.S. each year. Roughly 800,000 of those people seek medical attention. Almost half of them are children who might not be aware that their behavior is threatening to dogs.

If there's a bite
If your dog bites someone, respond right away. Restrain or confine your dog immediately. Then do whatever you can to help the victim, whether that means calling 911 or driving them to the emergency room.

Once the victim is taken care of, you might have to contact the local authorities to report the dog bite. You should then call your home insurance company, especially if there are medical costs involved. Be sure to cooperate with your insurance company. The claims adjuster will no doubt want to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Take steps to make sure a similar incident doesn't happen. That might mean building a fence around your yard or sending your dog to obedience school. When all else fails, a certified animal trainer might help.