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The Canine Companions Every Arizona Homeowners Insurance Provider Would Like to See Given the Boot

Posted in: Home Insurance Articles
By: Clifford F. Berman
Posted on: Jun 1, 2009 - 11:39:05 AM


The Canine Companions Every Arizona Homeowners Insurance Provider Would Like to See Given the Boot

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If you're a dog lover you probably already know that your dog is a member of your family-and like every member of the family he's going to make his share of messes and mistakes. It's no reason to give him the boot! Unfortunately, your Arizona homeowners insurance provider might not agree.

It's a proven fact that dogs are among the most likely pets to impact your homeowners insurance rates. Why? For one, they're more likely than your fish to be let loose around company. They tend to be larger than your cats, so they have the potential to do more damage. Most importantly, in the eyes of your Arizona homeowners insurance provider their attacks are more likely to result in a need for medical care than if, say, your cat happened to decide that their hand looked like a fun Lunchable.

As a result, your precious canine (statistically speaking) is more likely to lead you to file a homeowners insurance claim to help cover the legal and medical expenses they manage to accrue. Back in 2007 (which doesn't account for today's inflation) the average dog bite claim cost homeowners insurance companies $24, 511 a pop. And if you're going to cost them money, they're going to take it out of your premiums.

To keep your insurance rates reasonable (or increase your chances of being able to obtain insurance in the first place) enroll your dog in obedience school and make sure they have a fenced in yard in which to run.

No, it's not fair. Everyone knows that how a dog acts is a result of the way it's brought up and the amount of socialization it receives at an early age, so put down your shotgun. Unfortunately, there are some breeds that seem to attract trouble. Nine times out of ten it's their owners' fault: They purchased a large dog in a "high risk" category known to be aggressive and failed to socialize it properly or, even worse, encouraged its aggressiveness in the hope that it would become an effective guard dog.

Regardless of their intentions, or what, exactly, they thought they were trying to protect, everyone knows that effective guard dogs and curious three year olds don't mix.

If you own a high risk dog you can expect any Arizona homeowners insurance provider to raise your rates to compensate for it. If you can't bear the thought of parting with your puppy it's perfectly acceptable to pay the higher rates and simply make sure your dog is properly trained, but if you're shopping for a family friendly dog that won't send your homeowners insurance rates through the roof you might want to avoid the breeds listed below:

1) The Akita

2) The Alaskan Malamute

3) The Chow Chow

4) The Doberman Pinscher

5) The German Sheperd

6) The Pit Bull

7) The Presa Canario

8) The Rottweiler

9) The Siberian Husky

10) The Staffordshire Bull Terrier

11) Any type of "Wolfdog", or wolf hybrid. While possession of the wolf itself is prohibited without a permit in Arizona, hybrids are considered to be a domestic animal and can be owned without filling out a ton of paperwork.

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Many organizations are currently fighting against the restrictions placed on dog owners by Arizona homeowners insurance companies, claiming they're unfair to the owner and the animal involved; however, until their fight bears fruit dog owners have little choice but to accept the fact that there are certain breeds their homeowners insurance provider wants them to live without.


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