The Connecticut General Assembly has placed Amended SB 1386, concerning dog breed insurance underwriting and service dogs on the Senate calendar for a vote. The American Kennel Club (AKC) strongly encourages Connecticut residents to contact your state Senator and request they vote “yes”.
HISTORY: Insurance companies have long been reluctant to offer homeowners’ or renters’ policies to households with pit bull varieties and several other breeds they say are most likely to cause injury. The companies can deny coverage or charge more for dogs considered dangerous by the companies, most often Doberman Pinschers, Chow Chows, Rottweilers, sometimes German Shepherds and Mastiffs, and always “pit bulls”. Ownership of dogs that match vague physical characteristics are consistently discriminated against, regardless of their parentage, in relation to housing, insurance, and re-homing.
As amended, SB 1386 would prohibit Connecticut homeowners’ insurance and renters’ insurance policies from discriminating based on harboring or owning any dog of a specific breed or mixture of breeds. If enacted, insurers would no longer be able to cancel, refuse to issue, or renew any homeowners or renters insurance policy, or charge an increased premium, unless an individual dog has been designated as dangerous. In addition, the state would evaluate the feasibility of establishing penalties for the intentional misrepresentation of a dog as a service animal. A similar Connecticut bill was blocked by insurers in 2023.
TALKING POINTS:
- Insurance companies should determine coverage of a dog-owning household based on the dog’s deeds, not the dog’s breed. If a dog is a well-behaved member of the household and the community, there is no reason to deny or cancel coverage.
- The insurance industry has not provided information showing that whole breeds are particularly threatening.
- The National Council of Insurance Legislators adopted a model act in 2022 to eliminate breed discrimination in insurance and SB 1386 reflects these industry experts’ work.
- Persons who require a dog to perform essential services to access as provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ought to be permitted to keep the service dog without regard to the dog’s size, phenotype, or breed.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Connecticut residents are strongly encouraged to express your support with your member of the Senate.
- To find your specific Connecticut State Senator or Representative, go to the Connecticut General Assembly website.
- Click on Representation (located at the top left side of the home page) and click on “Find Your Legislator”.
- Enter your town, street name, and street number and click to see a list of names.
- Click on the name of your Senator and you will get to their individual web page.
- Remember to identify yourself as a constituent and ask them to vote “yes” on SB 1386.
For more information on these or other legislative issues in Connecticut, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org.