Man Learns Dog Ownership Can Affect Insurance Coverage

Man Learns Dog Ownership Can Affect Insurance Coverage
Written for the web by C. Johnson, Internet News Producer


Insurance companies are increasingly using ownership of certain dog breeds as a reason to deny coverage. A Sacramento man says that's not right when the pet is a service dog.

Ed Nelson learned of the exclusion when he went to change policies after his previous company increased his premiums. Nelson's dog is a German Shepherd service dog named Ace. The Sacramento man has a disability that's not readily apparent, but with Ace by his side, Nelson is able to go to work everyday as an automobile mechanic. "He's with me 24-7," he said. "To be without him, I'm lost."

After shopping around, Nelson was set to change his coverage to Allied Insurance Company. However, when the company learned he had a German Shepherd, Nelson said the company declined to write his homeowner's policy unless he got rid of Ace.

According to Allied spokesperson Mike Palmer, the exclusion took effect in 2004. He said "certain breeds that have a tendency to be problematic may not qualify" for the home owner to obtain coverage.

http://www.kxtv.com/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=14512

but what is a true service animal?

They do not pose the same risk as regular dogs. It's unlikely that a highly trained service dog would increase the risk of the insurance policy having to pay out for a bite. Service dogs are not a liability the way other dogs are, dogs like my in laws shepard who has attacked several of the neighbor's dogs and bitten a few people.

there are service animals for the deaf, and I hear people with epelipsy.. I'm sure there are more.

...an insurance company to actually take on any "risk" would you? How stupid would that be.

They want you to send them money for nothing. It's much more profitable that way.

Our homeowner's insurance co threatened to cancel on us if we didn't get rid of it.

It's not unreasonable for them to deny insuring or charge more for high risks.

higher when dogs live here.

when i bought my German Shepherd and he told me that "I didn't hear that, and don't call me about it again. What I don't know won't hurt YOU"

pounded a hole in a wall of an apartment?

My standard argument when it comes to no-pets vs no-kids apartments . . .

blame the breeding "industry"....not the insurance companies. He really needs to bring this up with his local rep, not the local teevee twinkie.

This is MSM at it's worse...:silly:

animals. We are on our own if we have an incident. I have two small dogs so it's not a problem. It seems that rather than excluding certain breeds and exotics, just excluding animals altogether will still allow people to get reasonable home insurance.

seeing eye and ear service dogs are not small dogs, they are large german shepherds

telling the dude that oh, okay, we'll take away EVERYBODY's home owner's insurance for animal issues does not help him and it hurts everybody else, i'll let you in for a surprise, small dogs do bite, and if your small dog bites me, and i sue you, then you will be sorry that you didn't have homeowner's coverage to pay the LAWYER and defend you from losing yr dog and several thousand dollars in out of pocket costs to yr attorney

could find. We have two homes and they are insured by different policy holders and neither one includes any animal provisions. I didn't miss the point, I feel badly for the man, I was just remarking on what has happened with insurance coverage for animal owners.

I have Travelers Homeowners through Geico and three LARGE dogs.

That's really fucked up

I guess they were OK with my 2001 Flail-tail Pound Hound.


Nick-Nick

My neighbor couldn't get insurance through State Farm because the next door neighbor has a wood-sided house that's in fairly poor condition in the rear. So she went through another insurance company that demanded they finish siding the back of their house before they could be covered. I don't know what plastic siding has to do with fire hazards.

My house is finished completely in cedar circa 1909 and if I were to try to get coverage through a different company right now I probably wouldn't be able to do it.