A Calgary woman says she was denied a homeowner鈥檚 insurance policy over the breed of her dog.
Lisa Rideout reached out to a number of providers while shopping around for a cheaper premium. She was shocked when one sales person deemed her 13-year-old pit bull Chico too much of a risk to qualify for a new policy.
鈥淚 got a call and she said, 鈥楿nfortunately we can鈥檛 insure your house based on the fact that you have a pit bull,鈥欌�� she told CTV Calgary.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada says companies are within their rights to deny coverage over pet ownership.
Insurers are anxious to minimize their risk exposure since home insurance policies typically have to pay for animal bite claims, even if they happen outside the home.
While there is no official list of blacklisted breeds, Toronto-based InsuranceHotline.com says pit bulls, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, German shepherds, and Rottweilers are most commonly deemed too risky.
The fact that pit bulls are raising red flags with insurers is unsurprising given the controversy surrounding the breed.
Pit bulls have been at the centre of a heated debate in Quebec over whether potentially dangerous types of dogs should be banned after a Montreal woman was mauled to death by a neighbour鈥檚 dog in June. The City of Montreal is in the midst of a legal battle with a Quebec Superior Court over a bylaw that would forbid new ownership of pit bulls and pit bull-type dogs.
There is no legislation in Alberta banning pit bulls or regulating them being out in public.
Lena Tityk with Rogers Insurance Brokers says dog owners don鈥檛 have to worry about not finding a policy, but they may have to open their wallets to pay for the extra risk tolerance.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 fire, wind, hail, dogs, there will always be an insurance company that will deem the risk too great at a certain point and not write that insurance, but there is always a market that is willing to write something for a premium.鈥�
That doesn鈥檛 sit well with Rideout, who says Chico is more docile than her cat.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 horrible. I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 right,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e hasn鈥檛 done anything wrong, so why judge him?鈥�
With a report from CTV Calgary鈥檚 Lea Williams-Doherty
