Dog insurance is becoming an emotive issue with some insurance companies beginning to classify certain breeds of dog as high risk. In such instances dog owners are finding it increasingly difficult to get their dogs covered under their homeowners insurance policy and existing policy holders are finding that premiums are increasing for breeds of dog that have been classified as ‘dangerous’.
Dog insurance providers are homing in on those dog breeds that are generating the highest number of insurance claims to do with dog bites or other insurance claims that can be associated with an act of a dangerous dog. The problem is rapidly increasing with dog insurance issues across the US in an attempt to better cover the insurance risk of what is perceived to be dangerous breeds of dog.
It is not yet clear on what foundation some pet insurance companies are placing their reliance on for establishing what breeds of dog are supposed to be dangerous but what is clear is that there is a continuing trend, with dog insurance providers, towards discriminating against certain breeds of dog. What will make the issue worse is the possible move towards making dog insurance mandatory at which point dog owners could find themselves either unable to obtain dog insurance or priced out of the dog insurance market but illegally owning their dog if they don’t have dog insurance.
One recommendation is to avoid the dangerous dog breed list when purchasing a dog but this advice is of little help to those devoted dog owners who already own a dog from the ‘taboo’ list and are struggling or are likely to struggle to get affordable dog insurance.
At the end of the day dog insurance should only be there as a safety net in the event that the something might happen. It is in every dog owners interest (supposedly dangerous breed or not), and that of any poor unsuspecting victim of a dog attack, to ensure that dogs are kept in a safe and secure environment, not left unattended with strangers, can’t get out and are muzzled if there is even the remotest chance that they might bite someone while out walking.
It doesn’t need to be said that is the responsibility of dog owners to help reduce the number of insurance claims resulting from a dog attacks, despite what might be considered sometimes unthinking actions by people who are less dog aware. This in turn will help reduce the stigma that is currently growing in regard to dog owners and greatly improve the chances of obtaining affordable dog insurance for all breeds of dog in the future.
