Homeowners insurance with big 'high risk' dogs...
 

Adding Taco to our household brings up a potentially significant issue with my homeowners insurance. Taco may, or may not be, a mix of one or more restricted breeds with my homeowners insurance which could force me into switching.

Just wondering who everyone here with big dogs use...

I have a number of limitations beyond the dog working against me... 1) I live in FL... so that means that some of the bigger dog friendly carriers (ie. State Farm and Farmers) don't even do business here... 2) my roof is 10+ years old (actually 13+) and despite it's good condition, that's a deal breaker with most carriers... 3) now we got this, soon to be mammoth, animal.

Suggestions?

Spare the "call around" responses, I've already submitted quote requests to various places online, including a couple sites that submit to several carriers at once. Just trying to make sure I cover all my bases.

don't offer up what kind of dog you think he may or may not be.. i have a "restricted" dog but the vet classified him otherwise so i am good.. also he was on the banned list at the kennel i took him to but i just gave them the classification from the vet on his rabies vaccination paperwork and they took him no problem and there was no issue.. now if i called and said well he is a banned breed but i think he will be ok they would have told me to fuck off.. also i think in my city if you have a "vicious" dog you have to register them that way or something - vicious being defined as the type of breed just like restricted.. i don't have to do that either.. sometimes ignorance (or pretending to be ignorant) is the best way to approach it..

somewhere i saw where you can get like a dna test done and it will tell you exact breed(s) of the dog but i don't remember where i saw it.. i'm sure you can google it.. but i recommend taking him to the vet and saying he is a "lab mix" as far as you know.. because really as far as you know he could be a lab mix.. and lab mix covers a lot of ground and is not restricted, etc.

Keep your mouth shut.

Dog? What dog?

JC

That makes me think of Fight Club....



"Of course it's company policy never to, imply ownership in the event of a dog... always use the indefinite article a dog, never your dog."

:lol

True and if it comes up later..."lab mix" sounds good as MP suggested.

Who are you with now?

Besides Citizens, I don't even know of any companies offering new policies with reasonable rates.

You register your dog with home insurance?

If you let a homeless chick stay with you-she'd still be homeless right ? It's not like you'd put her name on the lease.




Damn dog just showed up and I set out some food. It's not my dog.

St. John's Insurance...

Simply thought it was the thing to do... I guess that answers that question.

LoL... I'd LOVE to have that conversation.

I dont think my insurance knows anything about my dog. Why would they? I never even considered it.

Do you think hes going to tear up your house? If so then 1. Dont get him. 2. Dont register him and pay out of pocket instead of making claim after claim.

I can't believe that you guys don't understand why the insurance companies would care about a dog.

A dog is a liability claim waiting to happen.

Pets in the home was a question on the application when I got my policy.

Its called a trained dog or one that was never crazy since he/she was born. Luckily my dog has never been like a small child. He also never barks. I fuckin hate barking dogs.

That's why you should just play hippy. Everything is free to come and go.

There's your answer OSP.

Just check the box next to: "A trained dog or one that was never crazy since he/she was born, never been like a small child, also never barks."

If you don't know what it is, like what mudpuppy said, you can get a DNA test done. One of those lesbian owned dog stores can do it for like $45.

Damn straight. But seriously, is it for property damage or if he attacks someone or someones animal?

My dog is a mutt. He'd hurt himself before anything else. The sad is he loves to meet other dogs but most of them do that "top" dog shit and he doesnt do any of that.

It's mainly about the dog biting someone. StateFarm told me that with them...they will allow one bite. Of course that wasn't actually written down anywhere. :lol:

Put a sign on the dogs back that says, "I ..... ...... & dog do not take responability of dogs actions."

Good luck with that. A kid could be shoving a stick up the dog's ass, but if the dog maims or kills the kid as a result you and your homeowners carrier could be facing a million dollar plus lawsuit.

Don't say a word about it and keep your dog in the house, you'll never have a problem.

Not worried at all about property damage... it's the bite factor. Even the best trained, calmest fucking dog in the world will bite if provoked enough. Unfortunately, the courts look at it as ALWAYS the dog/dog owner's fault.

Fuck... missed that part of the app...

Yeah, and I've read various accounts of SF policy holders who've had such claims without any rate increases or being dropped. I soooooooooo wish SF would do homeowners in FL. I have them on my truck and they seriously cannot be beat.

Exactly. My dog will be properly trained, well-behaved, and socialized like a motherfucker... However, there are only so many sharp sticks that can be poked up anyone, or anything's ass, before a retaliation.

That's said, an independant insurance agent just called me in response to my online quote request... could care less what kind of dog as long as it's not a Pit or Rott... and saves me about $500/yr. Fuckin' A... today's gonna be a good day.

Glad we never have to worry about that.. if anyone asks my dog is a lab/husky mix. You can only see the rotty if you know what you're looking for.

Our insurers know nothing of our new dog, but they might have known about our previous lab from when we moved in.

I'm with the others.. if you feel you have to add him to the policy, then play dumb and say lab mix. I'm sure you could get away with that easily.

i don't recall ever registering any dogs with homeowners but maybe i did.. can't remember but could have been on the paperwork..

I am actually getting ready to take my insurance exam in a couple of weeks. I was riding along with an agent last week one day talking about different things to look at. He said some companies wont even insure a house with a boxer. Pretty much any time that a dog bites someone, the insurance company will basically ask if a $10,000 check will make the whole situation go away. And inspectors from the corporate side of things will come around and check homes they insure in the area sometimes and if there is a dog there that isn't covered, they will go as far as to completely pull your coverage.

Chihuahua/Lab mix.

Go with the Lab mix. If they want you to be more specific, then say you think it is mixed with a Swiis or Bernese Mountain Dog. I remember your thread a while back and you think it is a Rott mix right?

If you are worried about Children being bit then put up a Herbert the Pervert warning sign.

What I don't understand is almost every dog is capable of a growling snap/bite...is that an attack?
If a dog attacks and is on the offensive(latches onto you and keeps going trying for your neck)...yes there is a problem. But 99% (just a guess) of dog attacks are deffensive snips/bites.

I've had dogs most of my life and have never had any of them mentioned on or by my homeowners Ins.

Different dog...

It doesnt matter. In the eyes of the law, and the insurance co., a bite is a bite.

I've always been asked when insuring homes, they usually give me the list of animals not covered and then ask what I have.

If Taco isnt a pure bred, he's a mix. You don't know exactly what he is so he obviously isnt on the list. :dthumb:

It's lawsuit happy people and animal ignorant jurors, who in turn influence the pandering politicians that cause all of this.

25 or so years ago, our doberman used to love to folic with the neighborhood kids... one time the dog knocked over a kid and he went home crying... The parents came back over claiming the dog was vicious, but after about 30 seconds of interaction with her, they yelled at the kid for probably provoking the dog. Times have changed and all people see are dollar signs anymore...

Why not just get a dog that is not in that group? A dog is not a child, it's a possession/property. Owning those types of dogs is like owning a gun. Not everyone wants to be around them no matter if the public opinion on them is wrong. If you don't want the problems that come from those type breeds, get something else. Otherwise you are doing to yourself and the rest of us don't give a damn.

Cause they are the coolest dogs. Not everyone wants to be around motorcycles either...

I'm not trying to beat the system or complain about the situation... just stating that the zero tolerance crap, in just about every circumstance, doesn't make any sense... My purpose for this thread remains the same - research and advice.

I don't have homeowners insurance (Condo pays for it), but I don't see a need to protect the "inside". Saves me 400 a year.

Get a cat. They won't bite and you barely know they are there.

You obviously have never met my cat.

Man that's a little harsh. :lol

hahaha...

Seriously. Sometimes I'd trust an 800 lb mean-as-hell rotweiler (with rabies) over some cats :lol:

Those f*ckers are diabolical. They plot. And wait.

I was thinking the same thing... what does your dog have anything to do with your homeowners insurance?

Don't think like I think or you'll be considered dumm.

Your Avatar is lovely.

I have a Dobie and my neighbor thinks she's vicious, but she just wants to play.

I've never mentioned my dog to my insurance man.

How much does she weigh? My bro had a male Doberman and that thing was like 90lbs and as tall as a small horse. I use to wrestle with him, but backed off when the mofo started to growl at me. :lol:

:lol:

Some policies have a "large or viscious dog" clause that could end up getting your insurance dropped. If a dog bites someone or even ends up running out into the road and causes a MVA the injured party (I mean "injured" as either physical or property damage or both) can file a claim against your homeowners insurance - sometimes for an insane amount of money. You could find yourself holding the liability for a crazy amount of money.

Everyone tends to think in terms of dog bites and stuff but it isn't that simple. Say your dog takes off after a squirrel (because squirels are almost as evil as cats) and darts into the road where a passing motorcyclist hits the dog and wrecks his/her bike and gets injured... That's a piss poor time to have that "dog" clause rear it's ugly head. The dog was just being a dog and you're suddenly in debt for the rest of your life.

And I can't spell "viscious" to save my freakin' life :lol:

I'm still wanting a fullsize pic lol

I still want a dobie

That was my absolute first choice for a dog... had one growing up - BEST DOG EVER.

They sure are...:) he's my 2nd..

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...l/618a752f.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...sycho/taco.jpg

The official story is going to be... he's a Boxer/Lab mix. Found an insurance company that's going to save me about $500/yr AND accepts most dogs... excluding the usual Rotts and stuff... So since he's a Boxer/Lab no issues.

Oh, and $50/yr is the liability coverage of $50k for him... Hmmm... I got a dog and saved money on my homeowners insurance. I guess I shoulda researched a little more when I bought the place!

That dog looks quite the vicousness....:lol

Holy crap that's a cute dog

Yeah... I've been to the dog park with him the past couple of days and EVERYONE is totally enamored with him. He loves EVERYONE, including other dogs. I need to find a way to socialize him with some little kids. Maybe I'll poke him through the regular park that's adjacent to the dog park when I notice some little kids around.

If you've got neighbors with kids that works too. I used to let the nieghbors ankle biters play with my JRT to socialize and remove any bad habits before they got started. No biting, no growling, no jumping or nipping. Worked wonders. Best behaved lil terrier you ever saw. Unless he saw a pit bull. :lol:

Don't do that. You'll for sure end up on the Uncle Pervy list. My dog grabs kids' attention like crazy but the parents always give me a shit look because I dare come to a public park without a kid.

Really ? Humm...I usually just start talking to the parents as well and it doesn't seem like a big deal.

Maybe you just put off a Pervy vibe...

Hmmm, my insurance man knows I have a dog, and I don't think she's listed on my policy... Granted, I have a lab, so they're pretty much universally loved. :lol:

Maybe you should stop going to the park in a thong while stroking your raging erection.

Not so cute when he poops on the floor!

We got the "I'm supposed to pee outside" thing down in just a couple of days... The "I'm supposed to poop outside" thing is currently, "I'm supposed to poop in the game room."

Work in progress.

You kennel training?

I understand, but I'm not talking to anybody. I take my dog to th dog park so he can run and play with other dogs. I leave the dog park and go by hte playground and kids come up to my dog. I don't want those little snot factories near me.

Plus, I wear a brazilian cut so I'm not showing too much (I'm worried about the children). And I wait till I get to my truck to rub one off.

Yeah, absolutely... for now at least... Can't trust the little monster when we are watching him... cannot imagine what he would do with full roam of the house in our absence.

Thats what we did. Crate at first. Now old Manward has free roam of the house at all times.

That's exactly our hope... once the puppiness wears off a bit, the cats stop hissing and spitting every time he's in the room, and he stops shitting all over my game room... we hope to allow him full access all the time.

I found that Manny doesn't bark when he's in the crate. If he's on free roam he barks when he hears things.

my dog is crate trained and it's the best thing for him.. he is safer in the crate then wandering around getting into shit.. and he goes in there himself when he knows we are leaving.. the other day i almost forgot to close the crate and he barked at me to remind me..

Game Room... Poop Room. Easy to confuse. :lol:

:rofl: I see...humm...don't understand why the parents would glare at you then. :lol:


Same with our pup. So far...so good...never destroyed anything in the house and he's 5 years old. Once in a while he may get put in the crate and I just point and tell him to go in and he does...great little dog.

Ok... Figured it out. The game room is about as far away as he can get from us at any point in time. This evening when I took him out (after getting a good bill of health from the vet) I let him off the leash and sure enough he sniffs off around 30ft away... He drops the biggest, sickest hog I've seen him drop to date. Maybe he's got a poop anxiety... Dunno but I'm psyched we've figured it out.

He's a smart dog. My dog does the same thing. He doesn't shit next to the house....he goes down to the corner of the yard, away from everyone.

Ghost does everything in the back half of the yard. Its like he has an invisible poopline back there

That is what our dog does. Shits in the back part of the yard, but wont go out there other than to shit. She's never been one for rolling in her shit, thank god.

Yep my dog does the same. Just being sanitary as possible I guess...poop as far away from where you eat/sleep as you can. :lol: :idk: