August 14, 2009 | Animals, Business/Law

Man’s Best Friend is Insurance’s Worst Enemy

Insurance profiling isn’t just about health problems or bad driving records, insurance companies may also have a problem with your pet. Insurers are increasingly charging premiums, or denying coverage, to dog owners with breeds considered dangerous.

Approximately 4.7 million people in the United States suffer dog bites every year, more than half of them children. Insurance companies paid out over $350 million for dog bite claims in 2007 alone. So insurers are biting back, extending the list of uninsurable breeds to include:

Wolf mixes
Akitas
Mastiffs
Boerboels
Chow-chows
Doberman pinchers
Olde English bulldogs
Rottweilers
Pit bulls and pit bull mixes including many terriers
Any dog mixed with any of the above

Dog owners and organizations like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals protest insurance companies’ decision, saying that it is not the breed of dog but the way it is raised that makes it aggressive. Dogs are more likely to bite if they have not been neutered, or if they are not properly socialized. Dogs that are kept chained or tied up are three times as likely to bite, regardless of breed.

But for now, breed profiling is a legal and anyone considering adopting a dog should check with their insurance company first to avoid a bite in the wallet.

AUTHOR: Kristina Canizares