American Family Insurance Discriminates Against Dogs

The 4th of July is a time when American families get together.  And here in the U.S. of A.,  polls show that most of us consider pets to be members of those families.

Brent Toellner and his wife, Michelle, certainly do.  When they bought a new house five years ago in Missouri, their American Family Insurance agent paid them a visit. He was greeted by the couple and their well-behaved pets: two American Pit Bull Terriers and a mixed-breed dog. According to Brent, the agent squirmed when he had to explain that American Family Insurance had a corporate policy that prevented them from insuring homes with pet pit bulls. Brent said during the entire conversation one of the pet pitties sat quietly at the agent's feet, hoping for a reprieve.  No go.

Brent and Michelle didn't consider breaking up their family simply because of an insurance company's canine profiling. They contacted other insurance companies and found that Farmer's Insurance didn't discriminate against homeowners just because of their dog's appearance. So Farmer's got the policy premiums for their two cars, their home, and their rental property. According to Brent, they have never had a claim and are quite happy with Farmer's — so happy in fact that they've referred dozens of dog owners to them.

Surely, the corporate executives at American Family Insurance know that Americans view their pets as members of the family.  So how could they, in good conscience, call their insurance "American Family" when denying coverage to so many responsible dog owners?

I wanted to give American Family Insurance a chance.  Maybe they've rethought their canine profiling policy.  Maybe they've started evaluating insurability on a dog's behavior instead of its appearance. So I asked for a quote.  I emailed their their web site, and  I disclosed the fact that I had pit bulls. I told the company that I've never had a claim involving my dogs, that my dogs were all neutered or spayed. I then asked for a quote for our house, our two cars, and an umbrella policy.

I received an email back stating "Unfortunately American Family underwriting does put this breed on the ineligible to insure list. This is a corporate policy." The other domesticated dog breeds that American Family Insurance discriminates against are Akitas, Chows, and Rottweilers. What about mutts who resemble those breeds? Who knows?

So is canine profiling the new redlining for insurance companies? It seems as though that could be the trend. At least we can be thankful that more and more cities are deciding against breed discrimination.

Recently, a Midwest think tank came out against breed-discriminatory laws, calling them a waste of tax dollars. Given the loss of business that results, perhaps American Family Insurance's shareholders will recognize that the company's breed-discriminatory policy is similarly costing them dollars.

Let's hope American Family Insurance changes its policy. After all, profiling doesn't pay.

Photo Credit:  Melissa Lipani, Best Friends Animal Society