Robert
Fredericksburg,#2UPDATE Employee
Tue, August 31, 2004
My name is Rob and I am an insurance agent representing Travelers. I actually work for GEICO but we serve as agents for Travelers homeowners insurance policies because GEICO does not write its own homeowners insurance product. In regard to the ineligible dog breeds, which include Rottweilers, Great Danes, Pit Bulls and huskies, my response to the assertion that the dog is not to blame but rather the owner is that there is no way to categorically analyze the responsibility of the dog owner. For that reason, certain breeds of dogs that have a tendency toward aggression and are large enough to cause significant injury to a person that could lead to a large liability claim are an underwriting concern. Personally, I do think that that particular underwriting guideline is rather stupid, but I can't do anything about that. I can see why the chance of loss could be higher with a ravenous pack of dogs at the insured location, but not all dogs of those certain breeds are vicious. With regard to the thought that declining to write coverage for people with those kinds of dogs is "discrimination" I would agree that it is discriminatory, but not illegal. Insurance companies discriminate among their potential insureds as a practice because they try to minimize the likelihood of a loss occurring. No company is going to write an insurance policy for a man whose house is burning down. While that is an extreme example, it hints at the reason why the insurance companies conduct business in the manner that they do. One thing that people tend to forget when they consider insurance is that a company is not required to write a policy for every applicant. It's like the Boy Scouts excluding homosexuals: it's elitist and arbitrary, but they have the right to do business however they want to. With regard to the gentleman who was canceled three times within a week because of his German Shepard, I would agree that the situation he was put in was both unprofessional and aggravating. I'm sorry he had such a bad experience, but hopefully what I have said has shed some light on why that action was taken by the company.
S.n.
Bucyrus,#3Consumer Suggestion
Sat, July 03, 2004
You will find Travelers is not the only company that will refuse to insure a large dog. It should be discrimination, but it is difficult to prove. Contact your state insurance commission or your senators and representatives to let them know how you feel about not being able to insure because of the "breed" of dog you own. I have heard from several different people that you can have problems if the agent happens to dislike your dog and the personally doesn't want to insure you. I have Safeco and I know several people who have State Farm Insurance who own large dogs. Perhaps someday we will be able to get through to these companies that it is not the "breed" of dog that is at fault. It's the owners that refuse to control them.