JLP at AllFinancialMatters posed the question.
As an previous owner of one of the “aggressive” breeds and as someone who has been around dogs all his life, I can say that no, they shouldn’t be excluded. In about 99% of the cases that are used as proof of “aggressive” descrimination, it’s the owner of the dog who is to blame for the animals behavior. Certainly, the breed comes in to play, but a Pitbull can be just as fun and loving and safe as a Labrador. And a Labrador can be just as mean and vicious as any pitbull. In very few of the cases is it actually a case of the dog being naturally mean or vicious. Pits and other “aggressive” breeds get a bad rap because they are the breeds most often used and trained to be mean and vicious for fighting. The key word here is “trained”. But I digress. This is a Personal Finance blog and not a Dog Blog.
Insurance companies shouldn’t be able to not insure a dog simply because it belongs to one of the “aggressive” breeds. Certainly, if a dog has shown aggression, it shouldn’t be insured. And perhaps a higher rate could be implemented, but not insuring the house because of the animal is poor business and at it’s very root is discrimination.
[tags]dogs, aggressive breeds, aggressive dogs, insurance[/tags]
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
insurance companies can refuse to insure anyone or anything. Exceptions, of course, are refusing health insurance on the basis of ethnicity or religion.
Why is refusing to insure me because I’m white and have a higher rate of diabetes different from refusing to insure my dog because his “breed” has a higher rate of aggression? Descrimination is descrimination. Just because the dog doesn’t sue on that basis doesn’t mean it isn’t descrimination.
Insurance companies discriminate all the time on the basis of what is a good risk. You can find some companies with the tolerance to insure your vicious animal, just be prepared to pay for it. You can blame the court system and trial attorneys for your issue with being excluded (i.e. not insured) by your insurance company……