Canine Profiling is Discrimination

To someone buying a home, getting insurance is as important as obtaining a mortgage. Many people already have trouble finding insurance, especially if they live in a state plagued by fires, floods, hurricanes or tornadoes (Shanklin). Adding a potentially dangerous dog can make it impossible for some decent people trying to find an adequate insurance policy. It is not fair to penalize the owner of an at risk breed because of a few violent dogs or a couple (of) negligent owners.

With dog-bite incidents accounting for nearly a third of liability claims against homeowners’ policies, insurers are resorting to canceling or refusing to issue homeowners’ insurance to people who own dogs with bad reputations (Richardson 189). Pit Bulls, Rottweilers and German Shepherds are the most likely to bite and draw the most scrutiny; however Doberman Pinschers, Chow Chows, Siberian Huskies and wolf hybrids are also on most insurance companies’ black list (Shanklin). A homeowner whose dog is cons...