Bear is fluffy and about 45 pounds and when a visitor approaches the front door, she lets out a half-hearted bark before scampering away for a nap behind an overstuffed chair in the living room.
But this dog, rescued from the streets by a family 11 years ago, is at the center of a controversy that has put her owners on the verge of eviction and the landlord in danger of losing his liability insurance.
And it's all because Bear, whose favorite activity of the day is going for a ride in the car, is part chow chow, one of several breeds on the insurance company's list of dangerous -- and uninsurable -- dogs.
The list, based on dog-bite fatality statistics from 1979 to 1998, has been used by several companies to deny or cancel coverage of landlords and individual homeowners who have pit bulls, German shepherds, Rottweilers, malamutes, Doberman pinschers, even Saint Bernards. Such lists have gained a high profile since the Jan. 26, 2001, mauling death of Diane Whipple in San Francisco and reflect an apparently growing fear that dogs can be a major financial liability. Whipple was killed by a Presa Canario, a breed also on some blacklists.
Ten to 20 people die from dog bites each year in the United States, the majority of them children.
Jacquelyn Huls, who has lived with her husband and two children in the same three-bedroom rental home the past 16 years, says she would rather move than give up her dog Bear. The family lives in the Meadowview area in south Sacramento.
"She's like one of the children," Huls said. "If I'm sad or upset, she gives me comfort. She goes for rides with me in the car. You should see her when my husband comes home and she hears the car."
George Barnes Jr., the owner of that home and 21 other rentals, says he has little choice. Three of his rentals have been damaged by fires in the past two years. After the third fire, his insurance company dropped him.
"I had to apply for additional insurance and was rejected a number of times," said Barnes, who finally found an insurer through a broker in Southern California.
The company, which he declined to name, initially approved his coverage of the rental homes. On his application, Barnes had listed, among other things, that a dog lived at the Huls' residence. In late March, he received a follow-up call from the company asking the breed of the dog.
Days later, he received notice in the mail that his insurance on that house had been canceled. To be reinstated, Barnes says he was forced to tell the family that the dog had to go.
"I do feel bad. But what choice do I have?" Barnes said.
The Huls family received a 30-day notice to move out and is frantically looking for a new rental in a tight housing market. Jacquelyn Huls says she has called about 200 places without luck. The family has two other mixed-breed dogs that stay in the back yard. Huls says she will try to find new homes for them. Bear, on the other hand, has the run of the house and is a dear family pet.
Several experts in the rental real estate market say such sticking points between tenants and landlords are often resolved when the landlord requires the tenant to obtain renters insurance. Barnes did not do that with Huls. After The Bee asked him about it, he said he called his new insurer but was told his liability policy would be canceled if the dog remained.
The rest of the story and the list.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/3192778p-4241425c.html
But this dog, rescued from the streets by a family 11 years ago, is at the center of a controversy that has put her owners on the verge of eviction and the landlord in danger of losing his liability insurance.
And it's all because Bear, whose favorite activity of the day is going for a ride in the car, is part chow chow, one of several breeds on the insurance company's list of dangerous -- and uninsurable -- dogs.
The list, based on dog-bite fatality statistics from 1979 to 1998, has been used by several companies to deny or cancel coverage of landlords and individual homeowners who have pit bulls, German shepherds, Rottweilers, malamutes, Doberman pinschers, even Saint Bernards. Such lists have gained a high profile since the Jan. 26, 2001, mauling death of Diane Whipple in San Francisco and reflect an apparently growing fear that dogs can be a major financial liability. Whipple was killed by a Presa Canario, a breed also on some blacklists.
Ten to 20 people die from dog bites each year in the United States, the majority of them children.
Jacquelyn Huls, who has lived with her husband and two children in the same three-bedroom rental home the past 16 years, says she would rather move than give up her dog Bear. The family lives in the Meadowview area in south Sacramento.
"She's like one of the children," Huls said. "If I'm sad or upset, she gives me comfort. She goes for rides with me in the car. You should see her when my husband comes home and she hears the car."
George Barnes Jr., the owner of that home and 21 other rentals, says he has little choice. Three of his rentals have been damaged by fires in the past two years. After the third fire, his insurance company dropped him.
"I had to apply for additional insurance and was rejected a number of times," said Barnes, who finally found an insurer through a broker in Southern California.
The company, which he declined to name, initially approved his coverage of the rental homes. On his application, Barnes had listed, among other things, that a dog lived at the Huls' residence. In late March, he received a follow-up call from the company asking the breed of the dog.
Days later, he received notice in the mail that his insurance on that house had been canceled. To be reinstated, Barnes says he was forced to tell the family that the dog had to go.
"I do feel bad. But what choice do I have?" Barnes said.
The Huls family received a 30-day notice to move out and is frantically looking for a new rental in a tight housing market. Jacquelyn Huls says she has called about 200 places without luck. The family has two other mixed-breed dogs that stay in the back yard. Huls says she will try to find new homes for them. Bear, on the other hand, has the run of the house and is a dear family pet.
Several experts in the rental real estate market say such sticking points between tenants and landlords are often resolved when the landlord requires the tenant to obtain renters insurance. Barnes did not do that with Huls. After The Bee asked him about it, he said he called his new insurer but was told his liability policy would be canceled if the dog remained.
The rest of the story and the list.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/3192778p-4241425c.html
I'm not sure it can be stopped until they lose business because they won't be insuring anyone for one reason or another.
