15 Dogs Homeowners Insurance Won’t Cover
There are at least 15 dogs homeowners insurance won’t cover. House Insurance provides liability for a homeowner. If your dog bites someone, will your liability cover you? The answer is maybe. If your dog has a bite history, no matter the breed, it won’t be covered. However, there are some breeds that are not covered. They are designated as vicious animals.
Designated Vicious Animals
The following is a list of dogs that have been designated as vicious animals. If you own any of these, it is likely that your homeowners insurance will not cover them.
Pit Bull Terrier
The Pit Bull Terrier is a midsized breed from England and Ireland. Bred for dog fights, pit bulls may have an aggressive temperament to other dogs. However, they have been noted to be extremely friendly to humans, even to strangers. They are also known as American Pit Bulls.
Doberman Pinscher
The Doberman Pinscher is mid-large sized dog from Germany. Doberman’s have a reputation for being aggressive breeds. While they are aggressive towards strangers, they are less aggressive than their reputation leads. From 1979 to 1998, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and Huskies were involved in more fatalities than Dobermans.
Rottweiler
The Rottweiler is German breed used to herd livestock. They are often used by police, or to be guides to the blind. As a watch dog, they are territorial by instinct. Compared to other dogs, they are about mid-level in bite attempts. According to research, Rottweilers and Pitt Bulls are responsible for over half of dog related deaths.
Staffordshire Terrier
The Staffordshire Terrier is a medium sized American dog. In the past, they were used as fighting dogs. They have been said to be aggressive with other dogs, yet gentle with humans. They are also known as Amstaff.
German Shepherd
The German Shepherd is one breed of German sheep herding dogs. German Shepherds are widely used in police and military roles. They are excellent for protection, but may become over protective or territorial. While they have a reputation of being safe, they also have more recorded bites than any other breed. They are more likely to attack smaller dogs.
Chow
The Chow is originally from north China. While they are watchful of strangers, they are also territorial and protective of their owners. Owning a Chow can result in either denial or higher cost of homeowners insurance.
Bull Mastiff
The Bull Mastiff is a large dog that comes from England. They are quiet dogs that seldom bark. As natural guardians, they will react if their owner or family is threatened.
Huskie
The Huskie originates from Alaska. It is known as the fastest dog for pulling sleds. They are typically not harmful to people. As any large breed of dog, they should be watched when near small animals or children.
Alaskan Malamute
The Alaskan Malamute originates from Alaska. It is used for pulling sleds due to its raw strength. They are usually quiet and are gentle towards people, making them ideal as family pets. However, it’s necessary to be attentive of them when small children or animals are nearby.
Wolf / Dog Hybrid
Any wolf or wolf dog hybrid is a naturally aggressive dog. A hybrid is any mix of domestic dog with a wolf. Wolves are usually shy around humans, while hybrids are more social. Wolf dog hybrids have a history of being abnormally aggressive with humans. It probably depends on where you’re from, but in Alabama, wolves would probably be considered exotic pets.
Great Dane
The Great Dane is German breed that’s known for its large size. Generally, Great Danes are not aggressive towards familiar people or animals. They may become fearful or aggressive to strangers or new environments.
Saint Bernard
The Saint Bernard is a large dog that comes from Italy and Switzerland. You may remember this breed of dog from the movie Beethoven. It must be socialized with people and other animals. Otherwise it will become aggressive and territorial.
Aikita
The Aikita is a large dog that originates from the mountains of Japan. It has been called “spontaneous” and may become aggressive with other dogs.
Rhodesian Ridgeback
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a large dog that originates from South Africa. They are also known as lion dogs due to helping hunters corner lions. A ridgeback with the right temperament will probably ignore strangers rather than challenge them. Like other dogs, they can become aggressive when not socialized.
Other Excluded Animals
Any mix of the above list will also be excluded. Does your pet have a prior bite history? If so, no matter the breed, it is excluded from insurance coverage. See this example of what is covered. A young man was taking his date to the prom. He borrowed his expensive family car for the occasion. As he arrived at the home to pick his date up, the family dog came out to meet him. This dog was a midsized dog. He was very friendly to people, but didn’t like cats. Suddenly, a cat jumped on the top of the car. The dog ran quickly, jumping on the hood, roof, and back of the car. The car was scratched by the dog’s claws multiple times. This is an unexpected event that homeowners insurance would pay for.
It may go without saying, but exotic animals are also excluded from coverage. Animals like tigers, alligators, or pythons are all considered exotic animals. Once, a woman went door to door to sell perfume. It was hot outside, so she left her car windows open. Not known to the saleswoman, the homeowner owned a monkey. While the sales woman was inside the home, the monkey was in her car. It ripped the roof of the car up and pulled up the seats so that the springs were sticking out. When the saleswoman returned, she saw the car and screamed “oh no!” In the distance, she heard the monkey scream and rush up a tree. A monkey is an example of an exotic animal. This instance would probably not be covered by homeowner’s insurance.
As a side note, animals are not covered as property. If an expensive pet were killed, homeowners insurance would not pay for it.
Check out this page if you’re looking for homeowner’s insurance discounts!