Is your dog covered under your homeowners insurance?
When some homeowners go to secure home insurance, they are surprised to find that the breed of their dog can actually make them ineligible for coverage. This is because many insurers will refuse to offer coverage to homeowners who have certain “dangerous” breeds of dogs. Even if your homeowner doesn’t deny you coverage completely, they may offer you a limited policy that denies coverage for dog bite liability claims. But why do insurers refuse to cover some dogs, and which dogs are deemed risky? Here’s what you need to know.
Insurance providers will deem certain breeds risky based on the frequency and severity of their bites. Frequency refers to how often bites occur from a specific breed of dog and severity denotes how serious the injuries stemming from a breed’s bite are. Based on these factors, some of the dog breeds considered most risky include:
- Akita
- Chow Chow
- Doberman Pinscher
- German Shepherds
- Pit Bull
- Presa Canario
- Rottweiler
- Siberian Husky
- Wolf Breeds
Please note that different home insurers will have their own list of breeds that they will not cover.
It is also important to understand that insurance companies use general data on a dog breed to determine risk. While your dog may have never shown signs of aggression or been involved in a claim before, insurers are considering what could happen if your dog did bite someone else. As the average cost of a dog bite claim hovers around $37,000, insurers simply do not want to take on the risk of covering certain breeds of dog.
This is why home insurers will refuse coverage for certain breeds of dog. Do you have additional questions about your homeowners insurance? If so, then contact the experts at Pierce Insurance Group. We are ready to assist you with all your coverage needs today.