Home Insurance Uncovered: Dog Bites

Woof! Woof! Ouch! More than one-third of all homeowners’ insurance liability claims are attributable to dog bites. Statistically, 61 percent of dog bites occur at the owner’s home; further, 77 percent of victims are bitten by a dog owned by a family member or family friend. Unfortunately, insurance companies are beginning to draw hard lines in the sand when it comes to dog ownership. Typically dog breeds are only considered during the initial underwriting of the homeowners policy. The companies with which we work will not cancel an existing policy because of an excluded dog breed. The following dogs tend to be problematic among most insurance companies:
- Akita
- Alaskan Malamute
- American Bull Terrier
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- Mastiffs
- Chow Chow
- Doberman Pinscher
- Pit Bull
- Presa Canario
- Rottweiler
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
- Wolf Hybrid
While we know many of these dogs can be just as gentle as any other dog, they are typically responsible for the majority of claims, with pitbulls alone typically responsible for more than 25% of dog bite claims. If you have one of these “excluded” dogs or are thinking about buying or adopting one, please make sure to speak with your trusted insurance professional to review potential issues.