The dog ate my homeowners insurance, some families are finding - Deseret News

Having certain breeds of dogs can cost families their homeowners insurance, according to Bankrate.com.

The American Kennel Club describes a schipperke as curious, reserved with strangers and agile, according to the article. But youngpurebreadpuppy.com says that particular breed of dog can become bored and express itself through destructive chewing. That's why Michael Richbourg of Atlanta was denied homeowners insurance.

Different websites describe breeds differently, and insurance companies don't always use the same sites, according to Bankrate.com. And it's not just the breeds typically thought of as aggressive — like pit bulls, Doberman pinschers, rottweilers and German shepherds — that can cause a person to get denied on homeowners insurance.

"Insurance companies go by the average number of bites reported by a certain breed," Ashley Hunter, owner and president of HM Risk Group, an insurance and risk management brokerage in Austin, TX, told Bankrate.com.

But the bite list changes from year to year and from one area of the country to another, according to the article. At one time, Dobermans were the breed to beware of. Now people are more afraid of pit bulls and Rottweillers.

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