Personally, I love dogs.
As your friendly neighborhood insurance agent, professionally, do I love dogs?
Not so much.
Sadly, dog bites are a common cause for claims on home insurance policies. Sometimes big claims. With dogs, anything from playful nips and serious, provoked biting attacks can cause injuries. As any dog owner knows, every dog has a threshold that can trigger the animal to bite. Some breeds of dogs are considered to be more at risk and harder to insure than others, including:
- Akita
- Doberman pinscher
- German shepherd
- Pit bull
- Rottweiler
- Staffordshire bull terrier
Do you have coverage for your Dog?
In addition to certain breeds, your homeowners insurance may have exclusions for dogs that have been designated as dangerous or even exclude coverage for dogs altogether, regardless of their reputation or lineage.
Before you get a dog, give your agent a call to see if your new, best friend is on your company’s “do not insure” list!
Animal Liability Coverage
Certain dog breeds aren’t the only prejudiced against pets on the standard home policy.
Think twice before you think you can invite the following critters onto your coverage:
- Alligators
- Amphibians: frogs, toads, salamanders and newts
- Apes, non-human primates
- Bears
- Cockatiels
- Coyotes, fox, hyenas, wolves and wolf-dog hybrids
- Hares
- Hedgehogs
- Raccoons, skunks
- Sugar gliders
- Wild felines: lions, tigers, bobcats and ocelots
- Reptiles: lizards, snakes, tortoises, turtles