Lost my home owners insurance due to my dog....

I don't know if I should cry or drive down to my insurance agent and demand answers from the higher-up's.

This past February I switched from Geico Travlers homeowners insurance to State Farm's homeowners insurance. All has been well and no complaints about State Farm. This past April I bought an American bulldog puppy. He now is 5 months old and a total sweet heart. This past April I had an alarm system installed from Brinks. After that Brinks gave me papers to show to my insurance agent for my home owners insurance to come down. GREAT I was happy about that. I took the papers over to them, they then told me that I had to have a permit since I live in the city. Called Brinks, got a permit paper sent to me. Called the # on the permit to have a police/fire chief person come out to make sure that my new alarm system was under code and correct. They didn't come out till the middle of May. The same day that the police/fire person came out, so did my insurance agent and took a look at it for himself and had the police/fire guy sign off on it also. All was fine.

Fast forward to this past Saturday. I get a letter in the mail from StateFarm. Saying that my home owners insurance has been canceled. I tried calling the office, closed on weekends. Fast forward to today. Called them on my lunch break and was informed that it was canceled due to the fact that I never told them that I had a pet "pit bull" living in my house and they don't insure people who have pits, rotts, dobermans, or GSD's. I about hit the roof. I told them that he wasn't a pit but an American bull dog, has been in training classes, and loves people. Nope, no can do... if it looks like a pit it then must be a pit. If you have a "dangerous" breed of dog and have State Farm... don't let them know because they will toss you to the curb before you knew what had happened. What pisses me off the most is that the GD insurance agent played with Bosco that day he came over to look over my house. He asked what kind of dog he was and my b/f and I told him american bulldog. He even commented how nice he was. Why would he report us that we had a "pit bull". I'm soooo enraged right now. Well screw Start Farm! I'll take my money and business elsewhere.

holy cow....wow....thats incredibly dumb....i guess they had to many pay outs on dog attacks? but an american bull dog is none of the above lol.... thats sad... goodluck on getting it resolved!

That stinks! I am sorry that happened to you.

An American Bulldog looks somewhat like a Pit Bull, but both breeds of dogs can be very sweet. The only reason why people make dogs mean is for dog fighting to see if there dog is the strongest and to make money off of them. It's sad, and they truley are not aggressive and dangerous animals. I know a few people who own Pit Bulls and they are really nice dogs with a playful attitude.

Sorry about your bad luck with the insurance weasels - this is a very familiar story here in Florida. A friend of mine just got her homeowners cancelled after many years with the same company. She had never once, in all those years, filed a claim. The reason for cancellation - her 11 week old Rottie pup! Renters in my area have to be careful. too. The wrong dog can actually get you evicted - landlords can't risk losing their homeowners insurance.

That sucks, I'd demand a refund for what you've paid into.

I would fight it.

If you've never actually read your policy, you may want to give it a go.

In most policies there are stipulations about animals and which ones will void your contract if you have them.

It makes no difference that you've had them for years, never missed a payment or filed a claim, they don't really care about you, just about numbers.

IF you have a proscribed creature and file a claim, they can and will deny it because YOU violated your contract.

Your nice friendly agent may or may not know about it, but don't count on him/her for anything other than towing the company line, they are NOT your friends.

Also, if it's in the contract, and you didn't read the contract, and you signed that contract, who's fault is it that you have basically whizzed your money away?

Fight tooth and nail and get a lawyer involved if need be.
American Bulldogs are one of the most popular breeds in the country and hardly a threat.

Yes, definitely read your policy carefully, or if you rent, check with your landlord BEFORE coming home with that cute puppy. It's like dog profiling! There are some breeds that can get your (or your landlord's) policy cancelled (Pits, Pit mixes, Rotties) and some that can cause the rates to really go up (Chows, Akitas).

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Originally Posted by panthercz

Fight tooth and nail and get a lawyer involved if need be.
American Bulldogs are one of the most popular breeds in the country and hardly a threat.

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While I sympathize with your sentiment, if she signed a contract that says no dogs like hers, then she violated the contract and there is nothing to be done about it, lawyer or not.

Take the three hours necessary to read the fine print and prepare yourself before you pay some schmoe 300 bucks an hour to do it for you.

People always want to involve lawyers because they didn't use the diligence they should have. This keeps the lawyers happy but provides nothing in any way resembling relief from one's own lack of follow through.

Thanks all! I've read the policy over and over and no where do I see anything about not having a specific breed of dog. I will be calling State Farm again tomorrow and demanding to have some higher up's numbers.

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Called them on my lunch break and was informed that it was canceled due to the fact that I never told them that I had a pet "pit bull" living in my house and they don't insure people who have pits, rotts, dobermans, or GSD's.

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Originally Posted by wilomn

While I sympathize with your sentiment, if she signed a contract that says no dogs like hers, then she violated the contract and there is nothing to be done about it, lawyer or not.

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She definitely is not in violation of her contract.

Yea, i would definately call them up. This is a horrible situation.
Hope my insurance doesnt get dropped for owning a deadly bp:D

Hmmmm sort of interesting.....

http://www.insure.com/articles/homei...og-owners.html

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In Michigan and Pennsylvania, it's illegal for home insurance companies to deny coverage simply because a home has a dog of a particular breed, according to III. Other states have similar laws pending.

Some insurance companies will sell you coverage regardless of what type of breed you own. Jeff McCollum, spokesperson for State Farm, says that there are good and bad dogs within each breed, just like there are responsible and irresponsible dog owners.

"State Farm does not discriminate against certain breeds," McCollum says.

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Maybe you need to speak or write to Mr. McCollum directly.

You're in Maryland aren't you? More intersting stuff here...

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIP...eInsurance.php

Specifically....

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Here are some companies that pet owners report are dog-friendly and tend not to discriminate by breed: State Farm, Travelers, Liberty Mutual, United Services Automobile Association, Erie, Fireman-s Fund, Kemper, Chubb Group, Allstate and Safeco Corp.

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And....

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* The Maryland Insurance Department has struck down some dog breed-specific insurance bans in court. However, some companies still try to force people to accept such bans on their Homeowners and other liability policies. The bans are typically directed at breeds such as Rottweilers, pit bulls and shepherds. If a homeowner receives a letter or requirement from an insurance company that would exclude insurance coverage, especially if the dog has not bitten anyone, the homeowner should contact the Maryland Insurance Administration immediately at 410-468-2000 or 1-800-492-6116 and file a written protest, since this sort of action has been held illegal in Maryland in the past.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Hmmmm sort of interesting.....

http://www.insure.com/articles/homei...og-owners.html



Maybe you need to speak or write to Mr. McCollum directly.

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THANK YOU Joa!!!!

Your welcome! I do love google.

From that last link, yet another State Farm person indicating they don't cancel just for breed reasons....

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* "If the dog is growling or aggressive, that's pretty much a tip-off that you could have a problem dog," said Dan Hattaway, a specialist on home insurance at State Farm. Mr. Hattaway said State Farm did not think blacklisting of breeds was an effective way to screen for danger. "Simply by naming a breed," he said, "people are screening out a fair percentage of good dogs. Just because someone is a Rottweiler fancier doesn't mean they have a dangerous or aggressive dog." (From a March 30, 2002 New York Times article.)

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Funny they say one thing but certainly did another in your particular case. Have fun making them eat their words. :)

man it depends on how u train them, if it had training lessions that dumb they shouldnt be able to do that.

There are several Insurance Companies that will not insure you if you have any dog that is considered an aggressive dog by the particular Company. There is no fight to be fought, you can't force them to insure you. Find another Insurance Company and don't mention the dog. When you first start a Homeowner's Policy it is not uncommon for them to send somebody out to photograph your house. German Shepherd Dogs bite more people every year than any other breed but any of the branchial breeds scare the dummies.I have Allstate and haven't ever had a problem because of owning serious dogs.If you somehow force this broker (and that is who doesn't want you as a customer) to unwilling insure you, you are inviting regular hefty rate increases.

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Originally Posted by ItsMichael805

man it depends on how u train them, if it had training lessions that dumb they shouldnt be able to do that.

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The training a dog receives is only a small part in the dogs behavior. I'd say a bigger part of that is the owner themselves. If you neglect, starve, or beat your dog, you're creating a dangerous situation in which the animal may potentially lash out at you, a family member, or even a complete stranger.

If you treat your animal in this matter, well, shame on you. If you can't love your animal and give it the treatment it deserves then why even bother owning one? So you can say you have a mean *** pitbull guarding your house? Get real.

**Note that none of this post was directed at the OP or at anyone in particular. Just ranting on stupid people blaming the dogs and not their owners.**

Do you have a pedigree? If so, all you need is a good lawyer and a copy of the contract. You should be able to pay for your next 30 years of home owner's insurance with the profits. I'm not a letigious person, but I'm all about sticking it to the insurance companies for bunk decisions. We're the ones who pay them (by law most of the time) and we are the only ones who can keep them in check.

stupid bsl (bull **** legislature) *(breed selective legislature)* telling which dogs are dangerous or not and canceling our insurance........................... aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh i hate them

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Originally Posted by lillyorchid

I don't know if I should cry or drive down to my insurance agent and demand answers from the higher-up's.

This past February I switched from Geico Travlers homeowners insurance to State Farm's homeowners insurance. All has been well and no complaints about State Farm. This past April I bought an American bulldog puppy. He now is 5 months old and a total sweet heart. This past April I had an alarm system installed from Brinks. After that Brinks gave me papers to show to my insurance agent for my home owners insurance to come down. GREAT I was happy about that. I took the papers over to them, they then told me that I had to have a permit since I live in the city. Called Brinks, got a permit paper sent to me. Called the # on the permit to have a police/fire chief person come out to make sure that my new alarm system was under code and correct. They didn't come out till the middle of May. The same day that the police/fire person came out, so did my insurance agent and took a look at it for himself and had the police/fire guy sign off on it also. All was fine.

Fast forward to this past Saturday. I get a letter in the mail from StateFarm. Saying that my home owners insurance has been canceled. I tried calling the office, closed on weekends. Fast forward to today. Called them on my lunch break and was informed that it was canceled due to the fact that I never told them that I had a pet "pit bull" living in my house and they don't insure people who have pits, rotts, dobermans, or GSD's. I about hit the roof. I told them that he wasn't a pit but an American bull dog, has been in training classes, and loves people. Nope, no can do... if it looks like a pit it then must be a pit. If you have a "dangerous" breed of dog and have State Farm... don't let them know because they will toss you to the curb before you knew what had happened. What pisses me off the most is that the GD insurance agent played with Bosco that day he came over to look over my house. He asked what kind of dog he was and my b/f and I told him american bulldog. He even commented how nice he was. Why would he report us that we had a "pit bull". I'm soooo enraged right now. Well screw Start Farm! I'll take my money and business elsewhere.

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Some people are a bunch of know it all folks!! I know of a couple places that are fighting hard against BSL (breed specific legislation) maybe they can give you some ways to fight this whole thing?? I am in Cali. but I know they have done work all over the place, one is CHAKO and the other one is ROVERLUTION, search them but be warned some of the stuff you read is really gonna make you MAD!!! Good luck with your new puppy American Bulldogs rock!!!