# State Farm dropping my homeowners



## AmyK (Oct 27, 2012)

Hi I am contacting you for your advice and hopefully your help regarding our Pitbull Zeus. Recently Zeus bit a taunting neighbor in the hand which resulted in a small puncture wound to his hand and a tetnus shot. I turned this into my homeowners insurance State Farm and they are forcing me to relinquish custody of Zeus or have him put to sleep. As we have found no one will provide us homeowners insurance due to him being a Pitbull and having a bite on my insurance record. We have tried every insurance company we could possibly find. If we were to give Zeus to a trusting home we are told that the party who gives him his home will also lose their coverage as State Farm requires proof of license of the dog to whom ever we relinquish his custody to and will notify their insurance provider. Giving him away or getting him put down is not a option to us as he is a very important part of our family. We still have a mortgage on our home and our bank requires we continue coverage. My plee for help from your organization is if you could help us with any advice you could possibly think of to help us keep our Pitbull and our home. Maybe if you could think of or know of anyone who may possible insure us with a Pitbull and a bite on our record?


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

What state are you in? We have a plan in Massachusetts that is called the fair plan. It's expensive as hell but since I'm near the ocean no one would cover us. You might have something in your state like that. 

Has your dog ever bitten before? Was it on your property? Did the kid come onto your yard? What precautions have you done to ensure it can't happen again? Have you had his temperament evaluated in order to show or know he is stable? Make a secure on all sides kennel in your yard and see if any of that might help you get converge.


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## AmyK (Oct 27, 2012)

Hi Ames thanks for replying
We live in Pennsylvania. He has never bit anyone before and it was actually a older man he had bit. The neighbor constantly yelled at him and blew his car alarm at him. Finally my dog got sick of him I guess. It was a fine line to whos yard he was in because the neighbors driveway connects to our yard. We no longer put him in the front yard so he can not see the neighbor and our back yard is fenced. The insurance company seemed to have no interest in weather or not we have taken precautions on restrant of him they just care that he bit and is a Pitbull and they deem him now viscious. He is the sweetest dog in the world!


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## Kingsgurl (Dec 16, 2011)

Insurance companies are all about making money. They don't make money if they have to pay out claims. A dog with a bite threshold low enough to be crossed in everyday life is a risk for them. He may be 'the sweetest dog in the world' but he does have a low bite threshold and he will require you to carefully manage his environment.
Try going through an insurance agent who specializes in dogs. In my area, we use Einhorn Insurance


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## geisthexe (Jan 18, 2007)

Kingsgurl said:


> Insurance companies are all about making money. They don't make money if they have to pay out claims. A dog with a bite threshold low enough to be crossed in everyday life is a risk for them. He may be 'the sweetest dog in the world' but he does have a low bite threshold and he will require you to carefully manage his environment.
> Try going through an insurance agent who specializes in dogs. In my area, we use Einhorn Insurance


Let me make some calls.. I have friends in the area and in Jersey .. 
Give me some back ground on your dog and photos .. 
Papered? 
Fixed? 
Etc


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## Shockerline Pitbulls (Nov 15, 2009)

Tell the insurance company he was stolen yesterday. You need insurance today. Can't prove anything. A dog that bites is a tremendous responsibility. I'd have just paid the doctor bill rather than making a petty claim. Now resulting in this. Good luck either way!


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## Firehazard (Dec 4, 2009)

You have a few good people in your corner; see if they can turn up any legal contacts or support. REALLY.. You should take insurance company to claims court. If you can't have a dog to protect you from a belligerent aggressive man, the police don't protect they clean up. If they are awesome street sweepers the streets clean, if not then not. The facts are the man has been aggressive and taunting your dog. ANYONE WITH A BULLDOG needs ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK or NO TRESPASSING VIOLATORS AT OWN RISK signs on all four sides of home and depending the type of home your front door and back door too. AT OWN RISK says it all and then you may have to start fresh with a new dog or new company. NOT A SHOCKER when I was 2 a man broke in and my moms doberman ate him up keep him in the corner til the police showed up; she had to go register it with homeowners and go to court and after it was all said and done: the dog had to be put to sleep. 
There is a flaw in the system...



Shockerline Pitbulls said:


> Tell the insurance company he was stolen yesterday. You need insurance today. Can't prove anything. A dog that bites is a tremendous responsibility. *I'd have just paid the doctor bill rather than making a petty claim. Now resulting in this. Good luck either way!*


IN the future............... ... "WHAT!?!"YOUR DOG WAS STOLEN?" nah he ran away for a month and come back. upruns: 
thats funny ^^^^ would probably work in most cases.

best of wishes~


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## Edge0316 (Nov 11, 2012)

I'm not sure if you found insurance yet but State Farm wouldn't cover me either I found a company called erie insurance and I think they are very reasonable maybe see if they have erie around you I live in Ohio so they might

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## patty (Nov 11, 2012)

This is a hard one. I suggest you talk to a lawyer if you really want to keep Zeus. See if there are any ways to get around that. This may not have anything to do with this, but also are pitbulls legal in your town? Several towns around my town have outlawed them.


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## Cheytmo (Nov 10, 2012)

My friend is a State Farm insurance agent and she actually wanted me to get liability insurance for my dog (mainly because I live in a small ignorant town). I don't think have a "bite record" and a pitbull is the problem. Maybe the agent in particular??


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## Sleeps with pitbulls (Dec 2, 2012)

AmyK said:


> Hi I am contacting you for your advice and hopefully your help regarding our Pitbull Zeus. Recently Zeus bit a taunting neighbor in the hand which resulted in a small puncture wound to his hand and a tetnus shot. I turned this into my homeowners insurance State Farm and they are forcing me to relinquish custody of Zeus or have him put to sleep. As we have found no one will provide us homeowners insurance due to him being a Pitbull and having a bite on my insurance record. We have tried every insurance company we could possibly find. If we were to give Zeus to a trusting home we are told that the party who gives him his home will also lose their coverage as State Farm requires proof of license of the dog to whom ever we relinquish his custody to and will notify their insurance provider. Giving him away or getting him put down is not a option to us as he is a very important part of our family. We still have a mortgage on our home and our bank requires we continue coverage. My plee for help from your organization is if you could help us with any advice you could possibly think of to help us keep our Pitbull and our home. Maybe if you could think of or know of anyone who may possible insure us with a Pitbull and a bite on our record?


I've got state farm,and I have reg. APBT and Reg. Amstaff , never had any problems with the company-was told to keep my gates chained and lock,post dog signs on my fences every 50 feet. And I also made sure to ask,about anyone fool willing to come into my yard ,break in etc. and my girls(dogs) attack. 
I do not mind in the least bit ,if my dogs are territorial or protective of my home. I was told that so long as the dog did not get out of the yard,or not kept on a leash,there should be no problem,in the event that a incident happened,my insurance would cover it and I would not be dropped ,so long as I was not at fault. I feel for your situation ,but did you not get the contract written in plan English , or at least talk to ur agent to clarify certain things? I recorded my conversation with my agent as well as sent and received emails for my own protection. There's a little trick you can do,just reregister the dog with any fly by night association (theres no approved or unapproved by state farm ) under a deferent breed,hell even get the dogs pic on the reg papers,make it look fancy. Tell state farm you traded the dog ,lost it or whatever works for you,and you have a new dog. Same dog new papers,lol. Personally ,maybe you should look into ur neighbors behavior and seek legal actions against him if possible. In the future,don't leave ur dogs unattended out side even in ur yard,ur neighbor harasses ur dog,call the law period. I have a very secure home and yard,but my girls are not let out without supervision ,and if they are left outside for a short amount of time,they are put on leads posted and concreted into the ground. A good security cam system is always a great pulse to have around and aren't that bad cost wise. The breed has its problems in general with the public,so to protect ur self and dogs,always try to protect ur self and animals . Had you had a vid of the idiot picking on ur dog,things may have been in ur favor! 
Wish you the best!!

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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

State Farm will no longer cover pits, I found this out the hard way when I tried to get them as my insurance again.....


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## HappyPuppy (Oct 11, 2007)

Why oh why did you report it to your insurance, OP? Dunno if I would have done that unless forced to!! Good luck - I think it's tough with a bite history now to find coverage.


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## SteelRidgeKennels (Sep 6, 2010)

I have State Farm...never had an issue...they actually COVER my dogs, so that if my home burns down or something and they perish, they reimburse me for it...I would say its your agent...


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## Petey's Mommy (Dec 13, 2012)

I agree that it's the agent. I work with a lot of insurance companies across the country and also agree that an independent agent is a better option for all dog owners. They will go to bat for you in the event of a situation like this - unlike the big impersonal agencies. 

So sorry to read about what happened with your dog. I hope it all works out.


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## mary town (Sep 24, 2014)

I live in rural Alabama and am having the same problem trying to find homeowners. Spook is a rescue Pit. Sweet as can be, deaf as a post and crippled. My 4 yr old nephews love all over him. Pretty stupid insurance companys.


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## TeamCourter (Oct 22, 2013)

mary town said:


> I live in rural Alabama and am having the same problem trying to find homeowners. Spook is a rescue Pit. Sweet as can be, deaf as a post and crippled. My 4 yr old nephews love all over him. Pretty stupid insurance companys.


Try american family insurance...They had no problem covering us, we just had to fill out an extra form.


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## mary town (Sep 24, 2014)

not available in Alabama.


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## warlock (Sep 29, 2014)

I am in AK I would take the dog myself rather than see it put down anything I can do pm me Kim


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## PitbullChick13 (May 17, 2014)

we have state farm and I had a pit when we got it and I recently got a new pit mix. they don't have a problem with it


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