People with dogs that are involved in attacks are sometimes sued. If they lose, financial settlements are commonly paid through their homeowner's insurance. Thus, dog owners often try to avoid bringing the police into a situation because they don't want to lose their homeowner's insurance. Some homeowner insurance agents will not sell policies to people who own certain breeds of dog. According to Karen Taylor, St. Lucie County Animal Control coordinator, these are the same breeds they see on a regular basis.
Pit bulls are among the most commonly listed, and their attacks tend to be the most vicious.
Allstate Insurance, the nation's largest provider of homeowner's insurance, recently stopped selling homeowner's liability insurance to people who own pit bulls. Nationwide Insurance will not sell homeowner's insurance to pet owners with Rottweilers, Dobermans, pit bulls and chows. But if you have a dog with a bite history no matter what kind of dog no insurance. At least 60 percent of dog bites and 72 percent of fatal bites involve children. And since children are most often bitten on the face, many need plastic surgery to minimize scars.