I think Pitt bulls deserve to live their life with their owners. I have to Pitts with some on the way and i can tell you my dogs have never even tried to bite a person. my 7month old nephew sits with my female pitt and plays with her on the floor and my male is always cleaning him up and kissing him. My family was afraid of pitt bulls untill they actually got to meet mine now they are defending their breed and praising them to everyone.. its not the breed its the owner.. if they are brought up to fight or be very protective they will be but if they are brought up to love and be a good companion they will. Punish the owners for their dog killing someone not the breed. A pug could bite or kill someone but they aren’t on the list. So why is it that pitt bulls are being demolished from state to state. it is wrong i guess every time a person kills or injures another person they should be killed too!!!

Thanks for such a great site! Your information was very helpful to me. I just adopted a Staffordshire Terrier and he’s such a love! I live in Ohio so I have had to deal with all of the laws, including insurance. I did find that State Farm would not cover a “Pit Bull” type breed under homeoweners insurance. They were, however, helpful in understanding my position and I found insurance with The Ohio Insurance Exchange. They do not have a website so you would have to find them in the Yellow Pages but they are very nice and helpful. Thanks again for a wonderful website and I hope this information is helpful to anyone out there looking to give a bully dog a home.

I truly think that people really need to wake up and smell the roses. Pits can be the most loving animals in the world. Yes, I under stand its the owners, not the dogs, punish the owner not the breed. Where I’m from pit bulls saved people; they were used to protect and serve. They were cop dogs – they can be trained and tamed. People should be more careful when selling, go through the background – I mean I wouldn’t sell a dog to someone that I think is going to fight. That is where most of the problems come from because if they were not sold to the criminals then the dog might have a chance of living a good life. I really hate that people are so terrified of pits. I have a pit and he is only a pup, 12 weeks, and I just recently moved with my gf and her parents. They were terrified of him and said things like ‘he is going to get big one day’, and it made me feel good to prove her parents wrong, and show them how smart and nice he can be. Then I had to move him in with my mom because their insurance wanted to drop them. Screw all insurance companies that don’t allow as y’all call it ‘bully breeds’.

i totally agree with everyone on here. i have 3 wondeful pitbulls that would never bite anyone. my landlord,after 3 years of living here, now wants us to get renters insurance that covers our pitbulls and alot of insurance companys are ignorant to the breed, along with many other breeds. i think its totally ridiculous!!

I just bought a pitbull puppy. I am thrilled and in love with him, he is very sweet and comes from a long line of sweet, loving, safe dogs. I am very annoyed at the reactions I get by my choice in a dog. I don’t like having to think of what I will have to do when I buy a house (I’m 22). It’s all hype and hysteria surrounding pitbulls. Lets hope it soon changes.

isn’t this discrimination. not only do these insurance companies make an uneducated and biased decision- likely based on media perception- but they don’t event try to fairly evaluate (ie: a mandatory behavioral assessment by an approved behaviourist at owners cost). it is probably fair to say that they are treating responsible pit-bull owners as if we were drug dealers who are generally involved in dog fighting. i for one would like to see the statistics on the breakdown of pit bulls owners who “viciously” attacked someone. categories could be those involved with drugs/felony/arrests versus persons who have no prior warnings/arrests, etc.
is there any potential for legal action based on discrimination or profiling?

First, I would like to assure you that I am not in favor of breed discrimination.

I work for a national insurance company. Most insurance companies will not accept the following breeds of dogs: American Staffordshire Terriers; Pit Bull Terriers; German Shepherds; Akita; Chow Chow; Huskies; Great Danes; Presa Canario (Canary Dogs); Bull Mastiff; Rottweiler or any mix of the above. Always specifically ask before you take a policy!

Most large insurance companies have actuaries who calculate the level of risk for any given scenarios. Dogs are no different. The dogs on the list are large dogs with the potential to do a great deal of harm if they attack a human. Think about how big a Dane is, for example, compared to a small child. Think also about how intense your Am Staff can be when playing with other dogs. They are also dogs involved in high-profile cases of human attack.

The insurance industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries out there. By and large, they are only allowed to practice such discrimination because they have actual evidence to back it up. If you don’t like it, then you will have to lobby your state insurance regulatory body and your state legislators, because currently the industry is regulated on the state level.

Is it discriminatory? Sure. However, not allowing certain breeds of dogs is similar to not allowing people with certain driving records to hold a policy, too. Some companies do not accept drivers with, say, more than one DUI in 5 years because they are a bigger risk than the company wants to accept. This keeps prices down for those of you with good driving records.

You as the owner are liable for the actions of your dog. That means if some small child antagonizes your dog (despite the fact that you have repeatedly asked the child not to do it) and your dog bites that child’s face, your insurance company will likely pay out for that. If your liability is at $100,000 and the medical expenses + “damages” total more, you can be held responsible for that. Some companies have weird exclusions built into their policies, so READ YOUR POLICY!

All of that being said, I understand that you as responsible dog owners are getting a raw deal. The only way to change that is to, as I said, start with state law. You might even start with your local insurance professionals (agents, for example). If enough insurance agents have a fair, balanced view of certain breeds, then things CAN CHANGE!

its realy good to hear what an employee from an insurance co. has to say. Jill, your right about, “not allowing certain breeds of dogs is similar to not allowing people with certain driving records to hold a policy, too.” thats a good point. when i get on these forums and read about rates going up, or some companies will not accept, “what should i do?” It makes me wonder.. If only all these people, including myslelf,on these posts and other thousands the same, just get together and take your piece of advice and start from the bottom. Talking to the agents, the the local, and even state gov, might change things. But if wont happen if we just keep settling on paying more and even dropping policys.
What happen to protesting?

I think its a bunch of bs its from closed minded people ill just leave it at that what they dont realize is this breed has been around since the 1800s they are war heros they are wonderfull pets i have a male and a pom she is meaner then he is it just upsets me people need to do there homework before they tell the bs if anyone feels the same please email mkholley2@yahoo.com

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Dogs that are a “breed of dog commonly known as a Pit Bull” are automatically considered to be vicious under Ohio law. Owners of these dogs must maintain at least $100,000 of liability insurance coverage on these animals. The maximum penalty for a violation of this section is a $1,000 fine and up to six months imprisonment. If you have any questions regarding these laws, please contact a Field Supervisor at the Department of Animal Control’s Enforcement Division at 462-3400.
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Farmers Insurance will Insure your dog as long as there is NO prior bite history .

Just called State Farm as long as they do not seem aggressive and no bite history they will cover my two pitts. Just called Farmers in my area and they will NOT cover any bullybreed.

I feel like not insuring because of pit bull breeds is discriminating. That’s like stating Honda insurance will be more than Nissan because they had more accidents last year… it’s the driver not the car. I don’t like the idea at all. I understand not insuring irresponsible owners but in most cases (as in mine) my pit is 7 years old and has been through hell and back with my 5 year old daughter… never even thought about biting her or anyone else who came to our home. I don’t think that insurance companies should be allowed to do this because I have the right to own/purchase/adopt any type of dog I want. I should be able to sign a waiver of some sort stating if my pit ever bites someone my insurance isn’t repsonsible, I am. i’d invite any insurance agent to my home to pet and play with my dog… it’s not vicous. The neighbor is more vicous than the dog. It’s just not right to refuse insurance because someone’s dog has pit in it.

Last month, I lost my 9 year old Miniature Schnauzer to an attack by a Staffordshire Terrier. My father was taking my dog for her walk. She was walking down the middle of the neighborhood street, on a leash. The “bully” was unrestrained and left its property to inflict a fatal bite. My dog died in the next few minutes from massive bloodloss. My father was uninjured but weeks later is plagued with nightmares from the incident.

The Staffordshire never exhibited a violent tendency towards my dad. Not even while he was on his hands and knees trying to pry the dog’s jaws open to get my dog back. For that I give the dog full credit. It had its priorities straight. Big human, ignore. Small animal, kill.

I don’t blame the dog, it has no morality.

Through talking with neighbors, we’ve come to find out, this dog has attacked two other dogs in the last 12 months. Both of the other dogs were larger or of similar size to the Staffordshire. One attack required stitches, the other did not result in injuries worth mentioning as both dogs were on a leash at the time. Neither attack was reported to the SPCA until AFTER my dog was killed.

We’ve also been contacted by two people who had “discussions” with the Staffordshire’s owner. To be brief, the owner warned them of the danger. Neither of those people reported the owner/dog.

So he was aware that the dog was dangerous. He did NOTHING to prevent the dog from being allowed to attack, maim, or kill other people’s pets or family. The dog was allowed to roam, off the leash, in the yard. That fits the definition of Criminal Reckless Endangerment.

Regardless, neither I nor the SPCA can have the owner euthanized. We can, however, have the dog removed from his ownership and the SPCA can impose upon him restrictions if the dog is returned to him or they can refuse to return the dog in which case it will be destroyed.

At this point, it has been seized. The hearing to determine if the dog is dangerous is next Thursday. He has gotten a lawyer. I can not afford a lawyer. I should not NEED a lawyer.

By all outward appearances, this should never have happened. A nice neighborhood and a quiet street. But you can not always profile these situations. The owner was stupid and shouldn’t have been trusted to own a goldfish, much less a dog with the bred-in physical strength of a Pit Bull.

And yet, this was a rescue dog, supposedly “cleared” and classified by whatever dog rescue association as “OK for adoption”. The rescue association allowed *this man* to adopt *this dog* and as a result created a situation that has already been fatal to one innocent life and will likely end with the euthanization of the Pit Bull.

As I said, I can’t afford a lawyer. However, I fully intend to take the owner to court in the lower courts of my state where a lawyer is not required. I will be asking for the replacement cost of my AKC registered Miniature Schnauzer and all the veterinarian costs associated with the adoption. If I think I may be able, I would like to sue for damages related to the incident. My father (and recently my wife) who can’t sleep without nightmares surely deserve some recompense? The family has lost a family member. It just so happens, by whatever twist of fate, that MY dog was NOT a Pit Bull and the killing dog was. My dog, at 11lbs in weight (she was small for her breed) and with two partially torn cranial cruciate ligaments (the result of unlucky jumps) was in no condition to defend herself from an animal with the jaw strength of the Pit Bull and this particular dog’s intent to kill.

The Pit Bull’s breeding has given it the tools to kill. Perhaps moreso than almost any other dog. Likely, moreso than any other popular breed. I do not believe that the breed has any inbred tendency to attack or kill humans. I think for that reason that they make terrible guard dogs. They are very human friendly. However, they are not as universally friendly to other animals. When a human is confused with another animal (child) or gets in the way of an dog-on-animal attack, they are in real danger from a dog with the strength and build and inbred skills that make a Pit Bull.

I can’t make sense of it, but if there was historical evidence to suggest that Pit Bulls can and do injure and kill more than other breeds (and that evidence exists), it makes business sense to tax those situations at a higher rate. Likewise, if any insurance company is reading my story, would you seriously blame them for attempting to find a way to identify the risk that their customer, this incident, and my ensuing suit, represent?

Their methods are crude, and boil down to discrimination, but until the methods improve there is nothing else to be done.

I don’t ask for pity from those of you here. You are the responsible ones. What I do ask is that you be reasonable and THINK about what you are saying. Do your very utmost to improve education, awareness, and responsibility for the ownership of the breeds that are classified as “Pit Bull” and other so called “dangerous” breeds. When you see a situation, report it!

Only through these methods will anything change.

Only these methods would my sweet and gentle friend be alive today. Our lives are forever changed and I hope none of you will ever have to experience what I am going through today. If you do your part though, our pain and the life and love of our dog will not be for nothing.