Homeowners Insurance for Pit Bulls

I am a home owner and I have a pitbull. Do you know of any insurance agencies that will cover me? I will even take a policy that excludes the dog.

Answer:

This is a significant problem for any and all dog owners if their animal is deemed a "dangerous breed".

I've found a few companies that should insure you with a pit bull. However, you have to be aware that company policies change all the time. So, at the time of this writing, the companies you should check first include:

State Farm
Farmers Insurance Group
Travelers
Liberty Mutual
Firemen's Fund
Kemper
Chubb Group

Another recommendation: Join a Pit Bull club or association. Such groups are fountains of information, and you may be able to get a direct recommendation to an insurer.

8 comments

Posted by nychic11 on August 30,2009 at 12:15 AM

I had All-State I they canceled because of my Pit-Bull

the mortgage company offered an insurance but they are charging my $5000.00 a year, usually I would pay $1800.00 yearly.

I would really appreciate it if anyone can tell me what home insurance carrier can I use.

Posted by editor@insuranceguide101.com on June 29,2007 at 7:43 AM

Glad to hear that some have had a good experience when getting insurance and owning dogs. Here's hoping that more insurance companies will look seriously at the "Canine Good Citizen" test, as well as other temperament testing. Not all dogs who are big are also dangerous.

Posted by Tara on June 29,2007 at 7:10 AM

We just purchased our first home in March 2007 (in GA)..when checking with insurance carriers, none of them were concerned with what breeds I owned, and i specifically asked...the only response was 'why are you asking? do they bite?". We got a great policy thru Allstate and State Farm was also willing to insure us (but we got a better rate with Allstate). Some insurance companies will also make exceptions if your dog has passed a Canine Good Citizen test or another type of temprament testing (ATTS).

Posted by Melanie on June 21,2007 at 2:22 PM

I am an insurance agent and know the difficulty in placing a client with a Pit Bull. Each person's state insurance carrier ("the fair plan") will write "dangerous breeds", but the premium can be sometimes double that a standard carrier.

Posted by editor@insuranceguide101.com on May 26,2007 at 12:06 PM

I agree that this punishes responsible owners... But, it's also hard to compete with dog-biting or dog-attack statistics. Insurers are all about risk, and the risk is higher with a bigger, stronger dog that comes from a breed that is designed to attack or bite. When "dangerous breeds" are kept without good training for dog and owner, there is the potential for real harm.

All I can say is that those who want to own these animals should be working with their legislators, to find some way to have insurance available even if private insurers pull out.

Posted by Amy Lynn on May 26,2007 at 11:34 AM

Help! This is crazy. There are so many other breeds of dogs that bite. What can we do to fight against this injustice against dogs? We need to fight against the irresponsible owners of all breeds, not just make it impossible for responsible owners to keep the breed that they want just because the media makes that breed out to be monsters and says little or nothing about the owners in the cases of dogs biting.

Posted by editor@insuranceguide101.com on October 16,2006 at 8:19 PM

Well, there's our first casualty from this already short list of potential insurers... I suspect that it will just get harder and harder to find insurance for any dog breed deemed "dangerous". This is where Pit Bull Clubs and Breed Associations will be a critical resource to a pet owner, because such groups can act to negotiate insurance coverage for members, particularly if the members' pets meet certain training and obedience standards.

Posted by Claire on October 16,2006 at 5:26 PM

I can tell you that Liberty Mutual does not insure for the breed of Pit Bull... I just received my cancellation notice because of my dog.