Major insurance company Farmers Group, Inc. has announced plans to stop providing homeowners coverage for California dog owners with pit bulls, Rottweilers, and wolf hybrids, according to Sharon Bernstein with NBC Los Angeles.
“[T]hese three breeds caused more harm when they attacked than any other breed,” said a Farmers Group representative, who also said that these breeds were responsible for 25 percent of all dog bite-related insurance claims.
From the standpoint of an insurance company – at least this one – it made financial sense to stop covering homeowners with these types of dogs. In any case, dog owners could always find an insurer willing to cover them – if they’re willing to pay for the coverage, which looks like it might start to get more expensive, especially given the nationwide trend to limit liability for dog bites.
As Bernstein reports, insurance companies paid out $480 million in compensation to people attacked by dogs, nationwide, in 2011. In response, some insurance companies are requiring people to sign waivers, raising the cost of coverage, or not insuring people for certain breeds at all.
Source: Coverage to End For Bites by Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Wolf Hybrids