One of the biggest sources of claims in the property casualty industry is canines. Most insurers now have their own breed restriction lists that will tell you what types of animals will exclude you from being covered in the first place. Here is a list of some of the most common breed restrictions that insurance companies have:
“Properties where animals with dangerous propensities or which present unusual liability exposures are kept are ineligible for coverage. This includes, but is not limited to, Akitas, American Bulldogs, Bull Mastiffs, Beaucerons, Belgian Malinois, Caucasian Mountain Dogs, Chows, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Great Danes, Keeshond, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Staffordshire Terriers, Wolf Hybrids, or any mix or variation of these breeds, any dog with a history of biting, or any dog underwriting deems ineligible.”
Additionally, insurance companies are now also asking property inspectors to take photos and document the behavior of dogs when they are doing their property inspections. A recent property inspection for a client of mine came back with photos of her poodles with the caption “Insured owns 2 poodles. They were very friendly”. Unfortunately, when people are shopping for puppies, insurance is the furthest thing from their mind, and in the end a puppy’s cute face will always win over one’s eligibility for insurance. However, this really is not an issue to be taken lightly. The big issue here is that when cute little Fido grows up to be an aggressive adult canine, if he is on the breed restriction list insurers will deny any liability claim arising from the pet. This could end up being a huge financial burden for an person and family. So, when shopping for your family’s next best friend, make sure you give you insurance agent a heads up!
