babyrocky1
January 18th, 2005, 07:47 PM
email from advocates fot the underdog
I myself have called 3 major pet insurance places and all but one do not give insurance to pit bulls and the one that does said that when a ban s in place the insurance becomes "void"
EMAIL:
Windsor pit bull owners have told a rescue organization that they are unable to comply with the city's pit bull bylaw because they can't get liability insurance.
"People aren't having a problem getting a licence, walking the dog with a muzzle -- the big problem is people cannot comply with the (million-dollar liability) insurance (requirement)," said Natalie Kemeny, co-founder of Advocates for the Underdog, a pit bull rescue group in Windsor. "A lot of people rent homes and can't get insurance. It's either lose my home or drop off my animal. That's the majority of our calls."
But the city says insurance is available.
"People don't want to comply with the insurance requirement," said Diane Sibley, the city's licensing commissioner. "If you've never paid it before, they think, 'why do it now?' But if you are going to have a pit bull in our municipality, you have to meet the restrictions."
While it has paid $1 million per year in dog bite claims in Canada, State Farm Insurance says it doesn't discriminate between dog breeds when it gives out homeowners' or renters' insurance, said Derek Fee, State Farm spokesman.
"The one caveat is we do make decisions based on the history with a particular animal," Fee said. If a dog has a history of biting, the owner might not qualify for insurance.
Allstate Insurance won't insure a home if it has a pit bull, Dobermann, Rottweiler or German shepherd, said Derek Tupling, Allstate spokesman. Allstate instituted its policy in March 2004.
The Windsor bylaw, which took effect Oct. 1, says a pit bull owner must spay or neuter the dog, get $1 million in liability insurance and have the dog registered with the city. The bylaw bans ownership of a pit bull while grandfathering pit bulls registered by Sept. 30.
PROHIBITED-DOG HEARINGS
Residents can still register a dog and comply with the ban even if they don't have a current licence, Sibley said.
About 30 residents faced prohibited-dog hearings last month and most were allowed to keep their dogs once they had the proper documentation, she said. The penalty for violating the city's bylaw is a fine of up to $250 for the first violation or up to $5,000 for three violations or more.
Since the bylaw took effect, the local humane society has captured 84 pit bulls, of which 57 were euthanatized.*
I myself have called 3 major pet insurance places and all but one do not give insurance to pit bulls and the one that does said that when a ban s in place the insurance becomes "void"
EMAIL:
Windsor pit bull owners have told a rescue organization that they are unable to comply with the city's pit bull bylaw because they can't get liability insurance.
"People aren't having a problem getting a licence, walking the dog with a muzzle -- the big problem is people cannot comply with the (million-dollar liability) insurance (requirement)," said Natalie Kemeny, co-founder of Advocates for the Underdog, a pit bull rescue group in Windsor. "A lot of people rent homes and can't get insurance. It's either lose my home or drop off my animal. That's the majority of our calls."
But the city says insurance is available.
"People don't want to comply with the insurance requirement," said Diane Sibley, the city's licensing commissioner. "If you've never paid it before, they think, 'why do it now?' But if you are going to have a pit bull in our municipality, you have to meet the restrictions."
While it has paid $1 million per year in dog bite claims in Canada, State Farm Insurance says it doesn't discriminate between dog breeds when it gives out homeowners' or renters' insurance, said Derek Fee, State Farm spokesman.
"The one caveat is we do make decisions based on the history with a particular animal," Fee said. If a dog has a history of biting, the owner might not qualify for insurance.
Allstate Insurance won't insure a home if it has a pit bull, Dobermann, Rottweiler or German shepherd, said Derek Tupling, Allstate spokesman. Allstate instituted its policy in March 2004.
The Windsor bylaw, which took effect Oct. 1, says a pit bull owner must spay or neuter the dog, get $1 million in liability insurance and have the dog registered with the city. The bylaw bans ownership of a pit bull while grandfathering pit bulls registered by Sept. 30.
PROHIBITED-DOG HEARINGS
Residents can still register a dog and comply with the ban even if they don't have a current licence, Sibley said.
About 30 residents faced prohibited-dog hearings last month and most were allowed to keep their dogs once they had the proper documentation, she said. The penalty for violating the city's bylaw is a fine of up to $250 for the first violation or up to $5,000 for three violations or more.
Since the bylaw took effect, the local humane society has captured 84 pit bulls, of which 57 were euthanatized.*