Is your dog covered under your home insurance?
While you know that your dog would never hurt a fly, home insurers don’t feel the same way. In fact, there are several breeds of dog that are considered so dangerous that insurance providers will deny their owners coverage. Even if an insurer doesn’t completely deny you coverage, they may offer you a limited policy that specifically excludes coverage for dog bite liability claims. But why are some dogs deemed too risky to insure? 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 some insurers will refuse to cover certain breeds of dogs. Are you looking for the right home insurance to protect your property and your pet’s liability? If so, then contact the experts at The Schwab Agency in Colleyville, Texas. Our dedicated team is eager to assist you with all your coverage needs today.