Insurance Firms Scrutinize Dog Breeds
One of the largest obstacles is insurance. It is common practice in
An
"Since there are no regulations in place pertaining to coverage for dogs or dog breeds, insurance companies can establish their own underwriting criteria and guidelines related to them," said
"Dog bites account for one-third of all homeowner's-insurance liability claims paid out in 2013, costing more than
"They restrict that risk," she said. "There are also certain carriers out there that won't take you if you have a trampoline in the backyard. It's the same principle."
While restricted breeds vary from company to company, "pit bulls" are often black-listed. They were the only dogs
Companies handle breeds deemed high-risk in a variety of ways. Their primary options are to deny insurance coverage, provide coverage but exclude liability for the dog, or charge an additional premium.
"Some insurers decide on a case-by-case basis, depending on whether an individual dog, regardless of its breed, has been deemed vicious,"
In contrast, the
"The presence of a particular breed of dog does not make a person ineligible for home insurance," the department stated in a July, 2003, bulletin. "... Coverage should not be conditioned on the breed of dog present, but only its bite history related to paid claims and after written notice to the policyholder."
For Monique Bais of
"In order to get a mortgage, we needed to have proof of insurance," Ms. Bais said. "Before we even gave them any specifics like name, address, or home info, it was, 'Oh, you have a 'pit #8226.' We won't cover you.' "
Together, the couple have three dogs, one of which -- Tyson -- is a "pit #8226." Another is a Labrador retriever-German shepherd mix, and the third is a mixed breed of anyone's best guess. But it was Tyson that caused seven or eight insurance companies to reject the couple before they found coverage through
"We're not giving up our dog. He's family," Ms. Bais said. "He's a sweetheart. He's the most lovable, cuddly dog ever. The discrimination toward ['pit bulls'] isn't right, especially for something as big as homeowner's insurance."
Both Ms. Bais and
"There's a reason the
"They know these are some of the most popular dogs in America, and people are going to own them," she said. "They are going to do what they think is going to make the most money for them."
In
But such statistics are enormously misleading,
In addition to the visual identification of dog breeds being wildly inaccurate, she said, many records are incomplete and/or unverified by a third party such as a hospital. They often do not include important information such as dogs' licensing status or details about their owners' care for them.
Other people may record similar incidents in different ways.
The commonly used "pit #8226" label is not a specific breed but includes a number of breeds that change, depending on whom you ask. They often include American pit #8226 terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, and Staffordshire #8226 terrier.
Some people also lump in the #8226 terrier, cane corso, perro de presa Canario, dogo Argentino, and various breeds of bulldog and mastiff.
"Any dog with a square head, deep chest, and short hair is a 'pit #8226' nowadays,"
The local population of dogs in a breed must also be considered, she said, and that number is impossible to pin down because many are not licensed or don't have owners.
As of
Ms. Bais said treating some types of dogs differently from others is "just not OK anymore," causing undue stress and sometimes breaking families apart.
"People who are educated, have taken all the precautions, are safe pet owners, they're doing all the right things but still get all this grief," she said. "I just don't get it."
Ms. Bais said she thinks the difficulty in obtaining insurance in addition to simply finding housing that allows the dogs are two big reasons so many "pit bulls" are either on the streets or filling up area shelters.
"We're trying to do the right thing by saving these dogs, but it makes it very difficult," she said.
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