Home Insurance Guide

There are 4.7 million dog bites a year, amounting to approximately $317.2 million in claims in 2005, according to the Insurance Information Institute (iii.org); so it’s no wonder that having a dog can increase your insurance premiums, because it increases the costs to the insurer. In fact, given the list that the CDC produced about fatalities and dogs, owning one of the dogs on the list is a guarantee that your premiums will go up. Topping the list are Pit Bulls and Rottweilers, predictably, but Saint Bernards and Chow Chows also make the list. If you have one of those dogs, it helps to socialize them and play non-combative games, like fetch, to reduce the risks. While you won’t be able to reduce your premiums that way (claiming you play fetch instead of tug of war), at least you can reduce your claims if you have a risky dog.