Insurance Industry Scams Dog Owners
It's insidious and it goes like this.
Your insurance agent calls. Howdy, Martha, he says, in his friendly, once-a-year-business-casual-voice.
I see your policy is up for renewal. Just wanna check those coverages for you, make sure we keep you up to date - don't wanna have the house burn down and not be covered - right? Chuckle, chuckle. By the way, do you have a dog? Oh, you do? Max, yes, I remember. Well, refresh me - what kind of dog is he?
Stop right there.
How much insurance you pay, or whether you'll be able to keep your insurance at all, depends greatly on your answer. The question really is - what breed of dog do you own?
If you give the wrong answer, you could find yourself with sky-high rates or without any homeowners insurance at all.
The insurance industry is engaging in a new, deceitful practice that discriminates against dog owners and their dogs. Not bad owners or vicious dogs - Good dog owners and good dogs. Without any bite history or claims. This deceitful, insidious new practice has a name.
Breed Profiling.
If you think it's just for people who own German Shepherds, Rottweilers and Pit Bulls, think again. And by the way, if think that it's OK to discriminate against those breeds anyway - think again. Because it's wrong for people and it's wrong for dogs. And your dog - even it it's not on the list below - could be next.
If your dog matches any dog breeds on the list below, then it's on "the list" - the insurance blacklist. Oh, and did I mention if your dog is a mix, but a mix of any of the breeds below - your dog is on the blacklist.
OK - ready? Here's the list:
Akitas, Alaskan Malamutes, American Bulldogs, American Pit Bull Terrier, APBT, American Staffordshire Terrier, AmStaff, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Boxers, Bullmastiffs, Chow Chows, Collies, Dalmatians, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Mastiffs, Great Danes, Rottweilers, Saint Bernards, Shiba Inus, Siberian Huskies, Staffordshire Bull Terriers
If your dog is on "the list" you may be forced to make an awful decision. Choose your dog or choose to keep your home insured. Ir - if they do offer you coverage - it may be so unaffordable, that you are forced to give up your dog.
How sick is that? But in most places - this breed profiling is legal - that's right - legal. Insurance discrimination and breed profiling is legal in 37 states in the U.S. and across the provinces in Canada.
What can you do?
Pick up the phone and call your state elected officials. Tell them you want breed profiling outlawed.
Then tell then if they don't address it in the next legislative session, you will vote then out of office.
Tell them there's a new breed of voter in town. Tell 'em My Dog Votes.