It seems like there's no area in our lives that isn't touched by the need for taxes and insurance, but you probably never thought that your pet would be one of them. Yet your dog may be having a huge affect on your homeowners insurance rates. Here's a peek at how homeowners insurance companies are cracking down on dog owners, and what you and your loyal canine companion can do about it.
There's no denying the fact that homeowners insurance is a necessary evil, so simply spitting in your insurer's eye when you find out they're raising your homeowners insurance rates (or worse, denying you coverage altogether) just because your dog happens to be a member of a "high risk" breed probably isn't your best option. It can be tempting, however. The debate over whether or not it's fair to judge a person's eligibility for homeowners insurance, and a dog's eligibility to be insured, solely on the basis of breed with no consideration given to circumstance or the individual canine in question has been a source of much debate in recent years.
Since that debate has yet to yield any truly positive results dog owners continue to have to deal with it. In their defense, most homeowners insurance companies aren't out to make a buck off of the poor, unsuspecting dog lover. Dog bites alone account for approximately 5% of all liability homeowners insurance claims filed in the United States today. When you take into consideration the fact that between medical and legal expenses a single dog bite can cost an insurance company upwards of $24,000 per incident it's easy to see why today's insurers are choosing to play it safe.
While "nurture" undeniably has a greater impact on a dog's reactions in social situations than nature it's impossible to deny there are some breeds that simply continue to land themselves in hot water time and time again. The owners of these dogs have either failed to socialize them properly when they were young or, even worse, encouraged their aggressive tendencies in the hope that it would make them more protective of their family and property.
Many times it's that protectiveness that proves to be a dog's undoing.
Most homeowners insurance companies keep a list of "trouble" breeds for ready consultation when they're speaking with a new client regarding their policy. This list includes, but is not limited to, the Rottweiler, the Doberman Pinscher, the Akita, the Siberian Husky, the German Shepherd, the Pit Bull and any type of wolf hybrid. If your dog happens to belong to one of these breeds you can almost guarantee that you've already been taken off the list of potential candidates for outrageously cheap homeowners insurance.
That doesn't mean you have to abandon your dreams of low premiums entirely. Take your doggie pal to obedience classes and doggie boot camp, and submit copies of their certificates of success to your homeowners insurance provider. Make sure you fence in your backyard to give your dog plenty of room to run without leaving them feeling penned in, and keep your dog's vaccinations up to date. Over time your diligence, and your dog's good behavior, will result in cheaper homeowners insurance and the satisfaction of knowing that as a dog lover you're fighting back.
