Dogs & Insurance

Dogs are the world’s most popular pet. They come in all different size, shapes, colors, and breeds. Personally, I prefer big dogs and that are full of energy. Since I can remember my family has always had Siberian Huskies and nothing else. Not to say I don’t like other dog breeds, but I just prefer the how elegant the Husky looks yet it’s a dog that will go for a walk for hours and still not get tired. Huskies have always been describes as a "real dog". This means they are not something pretty just to have in the house, they want to have a job or be doing something.

Like most families, we consider our pets apart of our family and not just something to stick in the backyard to forget about.  The way our dogs are raised is in a very structured way, they are taught not to be food or toy aggressive, obedience is started at a very young age, and we even use e-collars on them. Now I know some people would not agree with that, but if used properly, the end result can be great. Right now, we have a 6 year old male Siberian husky; he is full of energy with a personality to match it.

About 7 years ago we moved into a new house and my dad had to get quotes from homeowners insurance. When my dad would call around, he would get asked the typical questions like square footage of the house, how many bathrooms, fireplaces, and so on. Of course the agent had to ask about if we owned any pets. Obviously we did so my dad said yes, but when he was asked what breed we had, the agent said he would sorry but they should just not proceed on to a quote because they would not represent us because we had a Siberian husky.  My dad was stunned and asked why and the agent told him because Siberian Huskies are considered a high risk dog on the bite scale.

The dog we have now will be the 4th Husky we have had, and never have I felt unsafe around one. I can remember being about 5 and riding on the back of one of our very first Huskies, Thorson, and he was always so gentle around us because my dad raised him that way. We also had a female but when she passed away, the male would no longer sleep in the backyard and began sleeping in front of our backdoor at night. Since my dad worked 3rd shift at the time, it was just my mom, sister, and I at home. It seemed as though Thorson new that we were alone and it made people very nervous to come to our door. He was never aggressive toward anyone but if my dad was not home, he would always follow my sister and me around if we were outside in the yard. There was also a time a neighbor's dog came into our yard and started chasing our cat. Thorson immediately went for the dog and would not let him near the cat. Thorson was as close to a perfect dog as you could get, our backyard was fenced in but he would always get out but never leave the front yard.

 Dogs are like children as puppies and they learn behaviors based on how they are taught as they grow.  For example, our dogs are taught that food, toys, and bones can be taken away at any time and they are not allowed to growl or bite. This results in not only my family members but also anyone can take anything away from them safely. So for me I just find it impossible to blame the dog when they end up biting people or attacking another animal. Either the person who raised them taught them to be that way or they were not socialized enough growing up.

One the first dog’s that comes to mind when it comes to insurance, is pit bull type dogs. Now “pit bull” is a generalization of a group of dogs such as American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire bull terrier and mix breeds. A lot of insurance companies will shy away from these types of dogs all together. Personally, I do not think the labels these dogs get for being vicious dogs are fair. Again it all comes down to how they are raised because let’s face it no dog is born to be a killer. Actually, when the Staffordshire bull terrier was first bred, it was used a nanny dog to watch its owner’s children. People like Michael Vick, are the reason these dogs have the image they do.  In fact, in Florida, it’s illegal to own a pit-bull type dog in most counties but it’s legal to own a tiger. Now how does that make sense at all?

Here are scores, according the American Temperament Test Society, for some of the dogs who are considered risky dog breeds for Homeowners and Renters:

1.       Staffordshire Bull Terrier – 90.3%

2.       Siberian Husky – 86.9%

3.       American Pit Bull Terrier – 86.8%

4.       American Staffordshire Bull Terrier – 84.8%

Now this is just a general test yes, but with scores out of 100% that doesn’t look too bad to me. America’s second most popular breed, the Golden Retriever scored 85.2% which is lower than 3 out of the 4 breeds above. Seems kind of unfair to judge every dog in a breed based on a few individuals doesn’t it?

Small dogs such as Bichon Frise (76.7%), Cairn terrier (73.5%), Chihuahua (68.3%) and Miniature Poodle (77.9%) all scored lower than Pit Bull type dogs and yet are not on the list. This to me does not seem fair, because a dog bite is a dog bite no matter how big the dog is.  The day after Christmas, we had a TV mounted on our wall by the Geek Squad from Best Buy. My Husky was there and so was my sister’s Lab when the dogs came in, the guys who were there said that they did not mind the dogs because they were used to it. In fact one guys said that the only dogs he has ever had problems with are the little ones. He said the only dogs that snap at him or made him nervous were little dogs. I cannot agree more with this statement, as I feel the same way. Most people who own little dogs tend to let the dog get away with anything giving the dog a sort of Napoleon complex. Whenever the little dog snaps at someone it can often be seen as cute by the owner but it's really not. Little dogs should have the same rules as other dogs and be allowed to get away with anything because of their size.

I just think people should look at the facts and do their research before they label dogs they probably know nothing about and only take the media’s word for it. Lets face it the media always brings out the worst facts in the most cases and only show one side of the story.