I have more important things to worry about...

than whether or not you like my life, the color of my house, the kind of car I drive, or who I sleep with!

At the moment I'm more concerned whether or not my insurance agency will allow me to get a dog or not.
Stupid freaking agencies can kill you policy if you get the wrong kind of dog! I want a German Shepherd Dog, and have a breeder all picked out. I just have to wait to see what the agency has to say.

(playing final Jeopardy music while watching clock) I e-mailed them yesterday but will probably call them later on.

Anybody have problems with their insurance agency because of their dog?

Why would your insurance agency care what kind of dog you got? Canada is a weird place.

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Originally Posted by Kymera

Canada is a weird place.

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But full of extremely nice people and fantastic scenery. :)

I won't argue with that, but evidently your insurance is more messed up than New Jersey's.

Oh yeah....depending on the kind of dog we get, our policy underwriter could tell us that we're not covered because our dog is too dangerous. I know rotties are frowned upon by some here (pretty puppies that they are), and dobbies too, but I'm not sure of the GSD.

(ever been to the West coast of Canada? The views there are spectacular. Apparently the East coast - and the drive there - is even more beautiful)

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Originally Posted by Kymera

Why would your insurance agency care what kind of dog you got? Canada is a weird place.

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Here in michigan they wont insure any damage done by a dog with "bull" in it's name. We have a bull terrier and if she decides to bite somebody we're screwed cause the insurance company doesn't cover her.

Well, I have a Standard Poodle (55+lbs) and our insurance company never even batted an eye. I've never heard of that until today.

That's the thing about bodily injury liabilities. To fix a house there is a set amount that they can depend upon being the dollar amount. When it comes to injuries caused by and animal living in the house, a lot of variables can be encountered. In one instance you could have multiple casualties, each with tens of thousands of dollars of medical costs. And the bills will continue to compound...

Is it right? Well, I think dropping you is a bad faith thing. But raising your premium should be something that both parties can agree on...

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Originally Posted by Gollo

Here in michigan they wont insure any damage done by a dog with "bull" in it's name. We have a bull terrier and if she decides to bite somebody we're screwed cause the insurance company doesn't cover her.

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Yeah, that's what I mean! Certain types of dogs have been given bum raps because of past owners stupidity. Now legitimate owners, people who love their dogs like you, have problems just because of "what if".

That's exactly what I'm looking at here. I can't remember what the company said when we insured our house, but she did mention dogs.

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Originally Posted by Sunshine

(ever been to the West coast of Canada? The views there are spectacular. Apparently the East coast - and the drive there - is even more beautiful)

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West side - Been to Banff/Lake Louise/Canmore and some views around there...

East side - Toronto and Niagara.

Nice place you guys have there. Saving up to do the East Coast to West Coast drive next year.

They shouldn't drop you for getting a dog but just let you know that your on your own if the dog does attach somebody or something.

It is unnatural and morally repulsive for gay people to have a dog. :rolleyes:

Off thread a bit - but I don't understand the whole "full bred" deal. All of the dogs I've had over my life have been mutts, either gotten from the pound, or rescued from going to the pound by taking them as pups from someone who was either giving them away or taking them to the humane society. with so many wonderful pooches out there in shelters I don't understand why people have to have 100% AKC (insert breed here)

I get the dispostion thing with certain breeds, but you don't have to have a full bred lab to get the lab dispostion. just ask our rotty/lab mutt.

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Originally Posted by kato2274

Off thread a bit - but I don't understand the whole "full bred" deal. All of the dogs I've had over my life have been mutts, either gotten from the pound, or rescued from going to the pound by taking them as pups from someone who was either giving them away or taking them to the humane society. with so many wonderful pooches out there in shelters I don't understand why people have to have 100% AKC (insert breed here)

I get the dispostion thing with certain breeds, but you don't have to have a full bred lab to get the lab dispostion. just ask our rotty/lab mutt.

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We thought of getting a mutt from the pound (or no kill shelter) but our friend just went though the cost of hip replacment surgury for her mutt. $3000+ for 2 hips

The breeder we're looking at has tried to breed out hip/knee/joint problems, and has a very good success rate. I don't care if my dog has AKC (CKC here) or not, because we don't intend to show or breed her. We just want a family pet. The mutts I've had in the past were dogs of wonder....the first was a mutt from a Northern reserve and had some problems. At 4 months old I had to give her up because she tried to rip the hand/leg/arm/whatever off of anyone who came close to her. I tried puppy training, treats, anything that I thought might work, but she was a real nut case. The second mutt was so sick when I got her, the Vet thought it was a miracle that she survived. My ex has her now. The dog is totally blind now and very old.

Ahh insurance.

"The 'gimmick' was the switch of the concept of rights from the political to the economic realm." - Ayn Rand

As much as I love dogs, they are a handful! I have a mutt. One of teh best dogs I have ever had. He is a little high strung but it is manageable.

1 problem I do have with him is seizures. Seems that when he gets frightened, it triggers a seizure. They are infrequent and the vet does not recommend medication for it. It makes it very difficult to go anywhere out of town. Nobody feels confortable watching him becuase of his illness, awhich means I have to take him to the vet, which means he gets scared and could have a seizure.

From what I am told this kind of condition usually occurs in Full Bred dogs that have been breeded to close to their bloode lines. What ever the case, I love the guy and it kills me every time it happens to him..

:sad: :sad:

I'm sorry to hear of your poor puppie's illness. It just breaks my heart when I see an injured animal and there's nothing that can be done to help them. All you can do is comfort your little darling and let him know that you're there. That usually makes it a bit better on them.

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Originally Posted by Sunshine

We thought of getting a mutt from the pound (or no kill shelter) but our friend just went though the cost of hip replacment surgury for her mutt. $3000+ for 2 hips

The breeder we're looking at has tried to breed out hip/knee/joint problems, and has a very good success rate. I don't care if my dog has AKC (CKC here) or not, because we don't intend to show or breed her. We just want a family pet. The mutts I've had in the past were dogs of wonder....the first was a mutt from a Northern reserve and had some problems. At 4 months old I had to give her up because she tried to rip the hand/leg/arm/whatever off of anyone who came close to her. I tried puppy training, treats, anything that I thought might work, but she was a real nut case. The second mutt was so sick when I got her, the Vet thought it was a miracle that she survived. My ex has her now. The dog is totally blind now and very old.

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I would be very skeptical of any breeder that claims they can eliminate hip/joint problems. Certain breeds are genetically predisposed to hip dysplasia. You might want to take a look here . The site also has statistics by breed.

As far as insurance, assuming you are not looking for new coverage, your policy should spell out any limitations relating to specific breeds. While certain breeds might place you in a different risk category from a rate standpoint, I don't think they can deny you coverage for a dog unless the breed is specifically excepted in the policy. Your agent should be able to tell you immediately.

Just get the dog and tell them its a mongrel whos going to argue the point?

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Originally Posted by hudsonsmith

I would be very skeptical of any breeder that claims they can eliminate hip/joint problems. Certain breeds are genetically predisposed to hip dysplasia. You might want to take a look here . The site also has statistics by breed.

As far as insurance, assuming you are not looking for new coverage, your policy should spell out any limitations relating to specific breeds. While certain breeds might place you in a different risk category from a rate standpoint, I don't think they can deny you coverage for a dog unless the breed is specifically excepted in the policy. Your agent should be able to tell you immediately.

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Oh, I wouldn't believe them if they said they can or have eliminated hip/joint problems. This breeder has very few instances, not none.

I don't recall seeing anything specific to dogs in the policy, other than coverage for hospital/medical treatments, but I'll look again.