Canine Racism???!!!
Last week in the Columbus Dispatch an article was published that told people how insurers are cancelling policies of homeowners who own certain breeds of dogs.
The quote below is an editorial in today's paper, regarding the article. The article is posted below.
Letters To The Editor
Insurance companies are going to the dogs
Friday, April 19, 2002
I was appalled at the stance insurance companies are taking on a canine issue ("Big dogs frightening insurers,'' Dispatch, Saturday). Threatening to cancel homeowners insurance for people who own a particular breed of dog is reprehensible. In some cases, the policy will be forcing people to choose between their beloved family pets and their homes. As the article pointed out, most homeowners pay for their homes with mortgages that they won't be able to keep without their homeowners insurance.Thankfully, my breed wasn't on the list -- this time. But I can only imagine the agony I would face if it had been. The insurance companies' position is the equivalent of canine racism. While there is no doubt particular breeds have similar and predicable personality traits, it is unfair to assume all dogs of a particular breed exhibit the negative behavior associated with their breed.
If particular breeds are more likely to cause an insurance company to pay a claim, I believe the company has a right to charge a higher premium to cover the statistical risk. But to threaten policy cancellation is crossing the line.
What about the effect this kind of policy is going to have on rescue groups, animal humane societies and shelters across the country? These organizations will be overrun with animals that have absolutely no possibility of placement. Euthanasia will be the only option. An edict of this type could eventually render extinct the breeds on the list.
Carolyn Jordan
Columbus
BIG DOGS FRIGHTENING INSURERS
Saturday, April 13, 2002
NEWS 01A
By Lornet Turnbull
Dispatch Staff Reporter
Illustration: Photo, Graphic
Faced with hefty payouts, insurance companies are issuing ultimatums to owners of certain breeds of dogs: Get rid of Fido, or lose your homeowner's coverage.
Neither option appeals to Mary Alice Bentley.
Nationwide Insurance has given the 77-year-old, Northland-area resident until July 7 to give up the Doberman pinscher that has been her companion for two years or the company won't renew the policy it wrote on her home nearly 10 years ago.
"I'm certainly not getting rid of my dog,'' Bentley said this week as she sat in her back yard, stroking the shiny, black coat of the 65-pound dog, Holly.
"She's an absolute pussycat, wouldn't hurt a soul. These dogs are better than any security system you can have, and they don't have to be vicious.''
In the wake of high-profile dog- attack cases nationwide, Dobermans, Rottweilers, chows and other breeds of powerful and sometimes-aggressive dogs have emerged as victims in a new form of profiling.
Insurers say dog bites are the biggest reason for claims on homeowner's policies, costing them more than $300 million a year.
To limit their exposure, Nationwide and some other companies maintain a list of breeds whose owners are ineligible for home coverage. On Nationwide's list are chows, Dobermans, pit bulls, Presa Canarios, Rottweilers and wolf hybrids.
"Nationwide appreciates that an individual dog may not be representative of an entire breed,'' the company says. "However, we find it necessary to apply our standards consistently as it is difficult, if not impossible, for us to determine the true disposition of any individual dog.''
Other providers aren't as restrictive: Some consider an individual dog's pattern of behavior, rather than its breed, to determine an owner's eligibility for coverage. Others look to state law or their own exposure to guide their decisions.
Most won't write policies for customers who own pit bulls, citing state law that deems the animal vicious and requires owners to carry at least $100,000 worth of liability insurance.
Pit bull owners would have to shop around a lot to find an insurer willing to cover their dog. Even the insurer of last resort -- the Ohio FAIR plan, designed to extend insurance to those who can't otherwise obtain it -- won't provide coverage.
"It's become a lot more prevalent as companies have seen more loss experience and injuries as a result of certain breeds,'' said Loretta Worters, spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute.
Some believe that such restrictions are arbitrary and in many cases unfair, particularly because insurance is essential to obtaining and keeping a mortgage.
About 40 percent of American households own a dog, the Humane Society of the United States says.
"You can't simply take a breed and peg it as vicious,'' said Dr. Paul Knapp, a Columbus veterinarian. "That's a dog-by-dog situation.
"Some of the worst dogs I've had are not on any list. Some of these 3-pound chihuahuas can take down a big guy if they wanted to.''
Knapp said he encourages clients who own the more commonly blacklisted dogs to contact their insurance carriers.
"There are a lot of people who just don't realize they don't have liability coverage when it comes to certain breeds,'' he said.
That's because although the insurance industry tries to teach people about responsible pet ownership, it does a poor job of spelling out its dog-breed policy.
Companies say insurance agents typically ask about dog ownership and breed when someone applies for coverage. But those who get a Rottweiler or Doberman after they buy their home might not find out that their new pet has rendered them ineligible for coverage until they have a claim.
If there's a dog-bite claim, the client is covered, but likely will be told to give up the dog or find other coverage.
In Bentley's case, Nationwide discovered the dog during a routine inspection of her home a few weeks ago.
Bob Cunningham, spokesman for Nationwide, says there's no good system for informing customers about the policy. The exclusions aren't spelled out, not even in the fine print of policy statements.
"Each agent has his or her own way of communicating to their customers,'' he said.
"It's true most people don't know.''
Patricia Dews, an American Family Insurance agent, said she inspects every home she insures and follows up each year.
The dog breeds on the company's blacklist are Akitas, chows, pit bulls, Rottweilers, wolf hybrids or any mix of those breeds. It also won't cover any dog an agent determines is vicious during a home visit.
"I visited a home once where this woman was trying to hide her pit bull in the bedroom,'' Dews said.
"We tell people upfront, 'Don't get any of those breeds, or you'll be canceled.' ''
Excluding dangerous breeds isn't new. Nationwide has excluded coverage for certain breeds for five years. It added the Presa Canario within the past year, Cunningham said, after one of the dogs killed a San Francisco woman.
Insurers say their dog-claim costs have been escalating since the mid- 1990s as more people have bought aggressive dogs for security.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study two years ago found that between 1979 and '96, dogs killed more than 300 people -- mostly children. Rottweilers and pit bulls were involved in more than half of those deaths.
Word about the restrictions is spreading among dog owners, and some are fighting back. A bill introduced in New York would prevent insurance companies from discriminating against breeds. Pennsylvania already has such a law.
Rosemary Booth, secretary of the German Shepherd Dog Club of Central Ohio, said the restrictions are unfair to responsible dog owners.
"If my dog is not a risk to the public,'' she asked, "why should I be penalized?''