I’ve addressed dogs and insurance before (click here to peruse my Pet archives), but here’s the latest (via Unknown News):

Virginia homeowner Steve Wells received a nasty shock in the mail recently. His insurance company, Augusta Mutual Insurance Company, has informed him that they are going to cancel his homeowners insurance because they don’t like his dog.

Like many insurance companies, Augusta Mutual refuses to cover homes in which certain breeds of dog are present. This practice, based on the misperception that certain large dogs are inherently dangerous, is illegal in two states and is being examined in others.

Wells had to file a claim recently because of damage caused by the recent hurricane Isabelle. When the claims adjuster from T. M. Everette Claim Service showed up to inspect the damage, Wells was at work and his dog was in the backyard. On the forms he filled out while inspecting the damage to the house, the inspector wrote the words “CAUTION-PIT BULL IN BACK YARD”.

Of course, there is no way to scientifically prove what breed a particular dog is, the only criteria is appearance. Certain breeds are also not more or less likely to bite. The problem is that certain breeds are popular (more dogs means more bites) and certain breeds are popular among irresponsible owners (dog fighters like pit bulls, as do drug dealers who use them to guard stashes).

Continuuing:

Wells’ insurance company stated that they will cancel his insurance for owning a Pit Bull and for “misrepresenting this fact” when he purchased his insurance. However, there is a very big problem with this. You see, Steve Wells doesn’t own a Pit Bull and he never has.

Meet Buster (picture). Buster is a Terrier mix, the offspring of a female Terrier mix of unknown heritage and an unknown male parent. Wells adopted Buster after rescuing him from a negligent neighbor.

According to the American Kennel Club, there is no such breed as “Pit Bull”. Pit Bull is a term used to describe a particular mix of Terriers and other breeds. Combine an American Staffordshire Terrier, a Bull Terrier, a Boxer and a few other breeds and you end up with what people call a Pit Bull (picture).

Buster clearly is not a Pit Bull. The claims adjuster made a statement that obviously is false. Either the adjuster knew the dog was not a Pit Bull or he didn’t know what sort of dog it was. In either situation, to say that the dog was a Pit Bull was a lie and that lie is costing Steve Wells big time.

Mr. Wells sent both companies a fax disputing the statement and threatening legal action. The claims adjuster answered with more false statements, claiming that Wells said in a telephone conversation that he owned a Pit Bull mix that might bite him when he showed up. Mr. Wells never said that the dog might bite anyone, just that he wanted to know when the adjuster would be on his property.

Now, Mr. Wells is unable to find an insurer to cover his home. The companies that don’t refuse him based on his dog are refusing him based on his recent large damage claim. If his house were to burn down on Christmas morning, the false statements of the claims adjuster will have cost Steve Wells and his family their home with no way to replace it.

Mr. Wells is being refused based on a useless criteria that is actually not even true. He doesn’t have a pit bull and breed is not a factor. The site encourages people to send nasty letters to the insurance company:

T. M. Everette Claim Service
www.everetteclaims.com
P. O. Box 15057
Richmond, VA 23227
Phone (804) 746-2656
Fax (804) 746-8255

Augusta Mutual Insurance Company
13 Idlewood Blvd
Staunton Va, 24401-9355
Customer Service 1-800-533-1673
Customer Service 1-540-885-5127
Fax 1-540-886-1683

Posted in uncategorized on November 21st, 2003 by SayUncle | RSS 2.0 |