Not all chihuahuas meet the strict guidelines mandated by insurers. About five years ago in San Francisco, two Presa Canarios mauled a woman to death. Today, insurance companies are increasingly denying and even restricting coverage for homeowners with various DOG breeds: Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, pit bulls, Rottweilers and other temperamental canines.
The greyhound breed originally came from Egypt and was developed about 5,000 years ago. The greyhound breed was known before the ninth century in England, where it was bred by aristocrats to hunt small game.
Since insurers have had to pay excessive prices in DOG-bite claims each year, agencies have implemented strict policy guidelines.
Yorkshire terriers are very tenacious. In fact, A 12-pound Yorkshire Terrier named Oliver once defended an elderly woman from an 80-pound Akita. The woman escaped to safety and Oliver the yorkie survived with only nine stitches.
As a result, these restrictive insurance policies are making it a challenge in placing certain breeds in new homes. In various states across the country, pit bulls, Rottweilers and certain other breeds are deemed dangerous. Many chihuahua lovers are not motivated to endure the hassle of adopting a canine when it necessitates changing insurance policies, coverage or companies. For instance, 20 percent of the DOG adoption applications submitted through A Rotta Love are canceled each month because of insurance issues.
Paul McCartney, of Beatles fame, was very fond of his shetland sheepdog. In fact, at the end of the song "A Day in the Life" Mr. McCartney inserted an ultrasonic whistle, audible only to dogs, for his shetland sheepdog.
According to the vice president of the Insurance Information Institute in Washington, Carolyn Gorman aggressive canines have cost the industry significant losses. On the contrary, rescue groups contend that insurers are unduly targeting specific DOG breeds instead of trying to assess the potential of violent behavior of an individual canine's history. Here are a few prominent insurance company's mandate these guidelines:
Bloodhounds have dewlaps. What are dewlaps? They are strange looking, pendulous folds of skin on the back of the neck. They don't seem to serve any useful purpose to the bloodhound, but are rather interesting to look at.
-- Allstate Corp.'s policies vary from state-to-state.
-- Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. does not generally underwrite policies for homes with pit bulls, Presa Canarios or Rottweilers.
-- Liberty Mutual reviews each case before insuring a policy
The American Kennel Club recognizes more than 150 breeds? Segmented into seven different breed types, all breed possess unique temperaments, physical characteristics as well as a rich background in history.
Homeowner chihuahua insurance fact: Over the last five years, insurance companies have reduced the amount of losses due to aggressive DOG related incidents. In 2005, only $317.2 million in costs were doled out on DOG claims filed by homeowners.
Many Scottish terriers have an odd medical condition. It is called Scotties Cramp. It is a mild neurological disorder. Scotties under stress or exercising may move erratically, when suffering from this neurological disorder, but seem fine when resting.
The name bernese mountain dog is a rough translation of the German "berner sennenhund", which literally means "bernese alpine herdsman's dog". The breed's original name was "durrbachler", after an inn where these farm dogs were bought and sold.
