Telling them what kind of dog you have is just as stupid as having to tell a health insurer if your favorite food may cause bad health later on. You don't have to do THAT, so I don't see why you should have to be on a blacklist if you have a certain type of dog.
But you do, in a sense. You have to tell your health insurer if you smoke or not, because people who smoke have a higher rate of certain cancers. You likewise have to report your family medical history.
You also have to disclose your driving record to your car insurer. There are several car insurance companies that will not insure you at all, period, if you have ever gotten a ticket at any time or if you own a radar detector, etc. People who own a car capable of going 200 miles per hour are going to pay more in insurance premiums than someone who owns a car capable of going 100 miles per hour.
Insurance agencies base their rates and exclusions on millions of pieces of data, compiled by actuaries. They use statistical formulas, and huge amounts of data over many years. It is all very scientific. They have to have proof behind their policies. If they are going to charge someone $1,000 a year for insurance, versus charging someone else $5,000 a year for the the same coverage, you can bet they are going to have statistical proof to cover their butts when the second guys squawks.
The data behind the "black list" of certain dog breeds exists, and its real. There are a lot of people disputing it, and I think they should. However, when pressed, the insurance companies have always been able to back their policies with facts about certain breeds and percentage of dog bites nationwide. They didn't arbitrarily pick these breeds, there is data behind it, sadly.
I just read a big article about this in Dog Fancy, including many tips on getting an insurance company to make an exception for your "black listed" dog. (I can't remember which month it was in, but the in one of the last two or three issues.) The number one thing that swayed insurers minds was getting a Canine Good Citizen award for your dog.
Having insurance is not a right, it is a priviledge. Just like having a driver's license or qualifying for a mortgage. Insurance is a business, just like any other, and they need to be able to do what they have to do to stay in business. I don't think it is necesarily fair that sweet dogs with good manners are refused coverage. I also don't think it is fair that I pay a premium for car insurance because I have a Camaro ... a car on the "problem for teenage boys" blacklist. But that's the way it is. What we, as dog owners, can do is to make sure our dogs are well-trained, well-mannered, certified as good citizens or therapy dogs, and politely and professionally question this policy.
"We give dogs the time we can spare, the space we can spare and the love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made" - M. Facklam
"We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers and discoverers - thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses. Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams."- P.S. Beagle
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king." - J.R.R. Tolkien
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