Enjoy Cheaper Homeowners Insurance Without Sending Your Dog to the Pound

Enjoy Cheaper Homeowners Insurance without Sending Your Dog to the Pound

What Man's Best Friend May Be Doing to the Cost of Your Homeowners Insurance, and How You Can Make It Stop

The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal, and therefore endowed with the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, no one ever thought to extend that non-discriminatory policy to man's best friend. Your dog may the final nail in the coffin when it comes to your homeowners insurance.

No, it's not fair, but let's face it-certain breeds have a rep. German Shepherds, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers have been getting the bum rap for years because their breeds have historically been bred and trained to be vicious because of their size and strength. Think about it; no self respecting junk yard owner is going to go out and buy a poodle to protect their property. A cute little ball of fluff named Fifi just doesn't inspire the same fear as a 110 lb Rottweiler flying out of the night.

The problem is, what do you do with them once you've taught them to attack?

Dog bite injuries fall just below slips and falls on the Top Five homeowners insurance liability claims paid out each year. On average there are 4.7 million injuries resulting from dog bits every year, with 800,000 requiring medical intervention. Guess who's responsible for those medical bills-along with any other lawsuits the victims might be able to dream up?

Because certain breeds are statistically more likely to bite than others, many homeowners insurance providers ask about pets when deciding a homeowner's eligibility for coverage. On average, homeowners insurance providers pay out over $300 million in dog bite liability claims every year. To protect their profit margins, insurers take the breed of your canine companion into consideration when determining your premiums-and deciding whether they want to insure you at all.

"Insurers compile all kinds of data on potential loss, including statistics on the various dogs that cause bodily injury by biting people," says Eric Goldberg, Assistant General Counsel for the American Insurance Association in Washington, D.C. "Chances are, you'll pay more for homeowners insurance if you own a pit bull or other type of dog that's widely recognized as aggressive and known to bit people."

Goldberg adds, "If you are a dog lover and you are concerned about how much you pay for homeowners insurance, don't buy a dog that's known to bite."

Dr. Robert Harwig, Chief Economist of the Insurance Information Institute in New York, concurs.

"A dog would be considered an attractive nuisance for which you'll be unable to pin the blame on anyone else," he states.

The rising cost of homeowners insurance for dog owners is leaving many homeowners rethinking their choice in friends-and leaving hundreds of purebred and cross-bred pups stewing in cages because homeowners are afraid to take them home.

Dog lovers have known for years that the fear of certain breeds is more a matter of bad publicity than actual risk. All dogs bite, and training and a healthy dose of TLC will have more to do with how your dog interacts with other people than their breed does. Animal rights organizations are doing their best to combat the insurance company's "bad dog" list, but until then homeowners have options available to help them keep their pets safe at home without paying a fortune in premiums.

To lower the cost of your insurance (and reduce the chances that your dog will bite):

1) Have your dog spayed/neutered as soon as possible. This has been shown to help neutralize their naturally aggressive tendencies.

2) Send them through doggy boot camp. Being able to present your homeowners insurance provider with a certificate assuring them that Rocky does, in fact, know how to sit, roll over and drop a ball at your feet has been shown to successfully lower homeowners insurance premiums.

3) Train your dog to drop their toys on command so you don't have to reach in their mouth. This will reduce the chances that someone will be bitten attempting to reclaim their property if your dog is out and feeling frisky.

4) Keep your dog on a leash when you're out, and build a fence around your back yard for them to run in. Electric fences will keep your dog in, but it won't keep people and animals out-and your pet may decide that the shock's worth it to get to the object of their wrath.

5) Play non-aggressive games, such as fetch, rather than tug-of-war or wrestling.

6) Post "Beware of Dog" signs on your property to alert people you have a

dog. Many dog bites take place each year because visitors are taken by surprise and don't take the proper precautions.

7) You wouldn't set your best friend up for failure. Don't do it to the four legged variety. Socialize your dog, and be wary of placing them in situations where they will feel threatened.

8) Have your dog vaccinated against rabies. Your veterinarian can do it, and there are many free and/or low cost vaccination events sponsored by local animal clinics that take place each year around the country.

9) Adopt a mutt! Homeowners insurance companies worry about purebreds more than they do the mutts at your local animal shelter, and you'll be saving a life at the same time.