Nationwide Insurance is giving Ritchie Doyle a choice: Get rid of the family dog or get homeowner's insurance somewhere else.

        The Riverside resident received a letter last week informing him that his homeowner's insurance will be canceled July 19 because of his 5-year-old mixed breed, Max.

        “We've had him ever since he was a puppy,” said Mr. Doyle, who is a machinist. “And we've been with (Nationwide) for five years.”

Riverside resident Ritchie Doyle (left) with his granddaughter Savannah Stidham, 3, dog Max and son Ritchie, 17. (Greg Ruffing photo) | ZOOM |

        Max has never bitten anyone; he hasn't been the subject of an insurance claim; he doesn't run off his leash; and no neighbors have filed complaints, Mr. Doyle said.

        His looks got him in trouble anyway — and now Max is on a list of six breeds that the insurance carrier has put in the doghouse.

        “Nationwide defines the owners of the following dog breeds — Rottweilers, Dobermans, pit bulls, Presa Canarios, chows and wolf-hybrids — as ineligible for homeowner's coverage,” Nationwide spokeswoman Holly Diefenbaugh said Friday.

        Mr. Doyle acknowledged that Max looks like a Rottweiler.

        “He looks like a miniature Rottweiler. He's got the snout and the body,” he said. “But he's 58 pounds and even the vet papers say he is mixed. He is a mutt.”

        As insurance companies face heavy losses, and pay out more claims, local agents say the Doyles' situation is becoming common. And the fallout has affected animal shelter operators, who say the insurance industry is taking a bite out of their ability to find homes for wayward dogs.

        “You haven't seen anything yet,” said Dan Cook, a State Farm agent in Oakley/Hyde Park. “You are going to see a lot of non-renewals. ... We paid out $138 million for dog bites last year nationwide. That's just us.”

        Nationwide is based in Columbus. Local agents contacted Friday refused to talk about the policy, and a regional supervisor hung up when asked about it. But Ms. Diefenbaugh says the six breeds pose risk of injury and death to people and other animals that exceeds most other dogs.

        “This list was compiled on the basis of reputation, dog-attack statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and our own research,” she said.

        But that does nothing for Mr. Doyle, who insists that Max isn't a Rottweiler as Nationwide claimed in the cancellation letter. He said his agent has known for years about Max and never indicated the dog would cause an insurance cancellation.

        And he has no way of knowing how Nationwide made its determination or why they suddenly decided not to renew his policy.

        “The only thing I can think is that (company officials) drove by and saw the dog,” Mr. Doyle said. “What are they going to do, give DNA tests? How are they going to prove he is (a Rottweiler)?”

        Mr. Doyle's agent could not be reached for comment.

        Mr. Cook says Max wouldn't be on State Farm's list, which has policy prohibitions against just pit bulls.

        “No other dogs bother us unless they have been trained for attack,” he said. “Ohio law has declared pit bulls vicious by breed alone.”

        Another major insurance carrier in Cincinnati, Allstate, prohibits only two types of dogs: pit bulls and Dobermans.

        “It's an issue nationwide,” Allstate agent Ron Haynes in Sharonville said. “What it is about is that these dogs bite. They are dangerous.”

        Mr. Haynes said most dog owners don't own up to the kinds of dogs they own. And he said it is typical for insurance companies to pay claims once and then refuse to renew policies.

        Marlee Maier, manager at the League for Animal Welfare shelter in Clermont County, said its insurance company prohibits them from taking pit bulls.

        And the stiffer regulations have made it harder to adopt dogs out.

        “Most shelters are filled with large dogs. That means we can't take more dogs, and more dogs are being euthanized,” Ms. Maier said. Insurance companies are “going to have a reaching effect. It is a really big concern.”

        Ms. Diefenbaugh said Nationwide appreciates that an individual dog may not represent an entire breed, but she said policies have to be applied consistently.

        In the letter to Mr. Doyle, Nationwide suggests that he could again qualify for insurance if he provides “documents showing that you have removed said dog from the insured premises.”

        Mr. Doyle said he has a better solution:

        “I'm keeping my dog. I'm finding another insurance company.”
       

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