Pit Bull dogs can Cancel Homeowner's Insurance?

[Thomas Rogers]

Volfireman, The best, smartest dogs I have ever owned were mutts. We as American's are mutts. English Royalty of old was "pure breed", and because of it birth defects, lower IQ, etc. abound due to the shallow gene pool and inbreeding.



I have the same opinion on breeding dogs. The purer the breed, the more likely a less intelligent dog.



Mutts are smarter!







TJR

 

[Rich Stern]

Here's where the gun/dog analogy breaks down:



Put a loaded gun in the middle of the room. Sit there and watch it. It won't move. It can't function independently of the actions of a person wielding it. Any safeguards needed are based on the potential for human use/abuse of an inanimate object.



We cannot say that about a dog. Dogs have will power. They can be controlled to a large degree, but they do act independently of their owner's desires, and sometimes, those actions can be disasterous. That, in combination of the specific genetic traits inherent to the pit bull lineage, present a problem.



I'm not saying governments should ban them. And I am not saying they are inappropriate domestic pets for every person. I am saying that choosing the breed (or a mix of it) for a domestic pet often involves a bit of denial about the potential they present for harm above and beyond what Yorkies, Chihuahuas, and Miniature Pinschers are capable of. And, as a result, we have to recognize that logically driven decisions like those made by insurance actuaries simply acknowledge what the breed is statistically shown to have done, not what a particularly sweet and loving example of the breed will or won't do.



Friends of ours have a Beagle. We really like him. But as he gets older, he's a bit less sweet and a little more "snappish." Even so, I don't hesitate to let my son play with him, because the dog is very limited in the damage he could do if he ever really went over the edge. I'm watchful, as is my son, but we still interact with him. If he was a pitbull mix, I'd be actively lobbying my friends to have him put down ASAP, before he killed or maimed someone. And they would be in denial, for understandable, emotionally driven reasons. That's a dangerous mix.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Right, Rich.



It's all about the increased threat that requires additional considerations and possibly additional safeguards.



TJR

 

[KentheREALone Z]

Wow! Guns and dogs,... you guys will debate anything.

I like both. I've owned both (though no full autos or Pit Bull types). I now own one cause I just don't have the time for the other.

To quote one of the posts;

"Will the pit bull attack that child? Most likely not."

IMO, buy a Lab, a breed known for tolerance with small children. People being responsible for their actions, that's all we need. This includes researching guns, dogs, SportTracs or whatever BEFORE comiting to ownership.

Anybody ever see the Ceasar Milan (aka Dog Whisperer)? "He trains people".

 

[Todd Z]

Wow! Guns and dogs,... you guys will debate anything.

yup, And some of them don't even own st's...



Just adding some humor..



Todd Z

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Ken says:

People being responsible for their actions, that's all we need.

Yep, that is all that is needed. If we could snap our fingers and everyone be held responsible AND then everyone actually act responsibly then there would be no problems.



But I'm a realist...that will never happen.



Have you seen what qualifies as the "typical" American neighbor this day and age?



TJR

 

[KentheREALone Z]

TJR, So true, for if it were that simple, we would not have anything to comment on.



So what we've resolved is; if you have a good neighbor and/or a good pet, let them know it.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Here is my "Why I have given up on people being personally responsible" story of the day...read it and see the blame game that is being played by everyone involved:

 

[Tom Schindler]

Caymen, regarding Allstate, you do know that each one is seperately owned and operated. It's an insurance franchize. It's very possible that your opinion derived from your local office(s) isn't indicative of the company as a whole, or other offices.

You are kidding when you say that...right? Allstate is an insurance company based out of Northbrook, Ill. They have a claims center located in Hudson, Ohio. Theresa worked for Allstate in one of their NATIONAL claims office. This one was located in Hudson, Ohio.



Locally owned and operated? You must be joking.





Tom

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Caymen, said:

Locally owned and operated? You must be joking.

I didn't say they didn't have a national presence and national claim center, but they are locally owned an operated. Of course, I didn't know that your wife worked in the corp claims center.



My point is as follows and it is still very valid with regards to how most insurance companies "care for" their customer.



I have found both Allstate, and State Farm (a couple of the larger entities with locally owned and operated offices) to be VERY good at caring for their customers. My Allstate rep knows my name and worked hard for my business and has stood by me when needed. That's personal, and that's "taking care."



My dad had State Farm insurance and when he died in a car wreck I got personal, face-to-face treatment and that was even after driving to OK (I live in PA) to settle his estate...they met me, at my schedule, and were nothing but great, handing me a check upon our first meeting. The agent even knew my dad and talked with me about him.



So, to say that insurance companies are nothing but scum and to imply that they (or even one national carrier) will NOT take care of you seems like nothing but personal bias, because clearly that is exactly what it is.



If I based all my opinions on the hearsay of relatives and friends I wouldn't trust anyone....everyone at one time or another has been wronged by someone else.



Btw, my cousins best friend's brother's orthodontist says that Ford MoCo donates 1/10th of its profits to terrorists. Must be true. I hate Ford!



TJR

 

[Tom Schindler]

TJR,



I could go ionto details, but Allstate is not going to take care of you. She worked for Allstate.



Keep whatever insurance company you feel is the best. Allstate is one of the most expensive and you are NOT in good hands. Give it time. You will figure that out too.



As for you saying that Allstate is locally owned. You are wrong. There are Allstate agents that are private "contractors" so to speak, but Allstate is not like Wendy's or McDonalds.



As for Ford donating money fopr terriorists, maybe that is true. Though they have never been busted, Hyundai was busted sending money to Kim Jong Ill a few years back.



Aparently, America really doesn't care.





Tom

 

[Gavin Allan]

Ford supports terrorists?



I thought they supported gays?



Which is it?

 

[Thomas Rogers]

And as I said, Caymen, I don't need time, Allstate has already proven that I am in good hands. Can I be sure that one day they won't tick me off? Of course not, but for now, they have treated me fairly and are one of the least expensive agencies I have found...not one of the most expensive as you claim. So, they are locally operated, they do provide me good care...I will admit, I don't know the details of their business model. I simply know that from my experience they provide good service, in a small-town like model, at a fair price.



You may have horror stories that sway you...I don't.



As I said, if I opted not to do business with every company that I have heard has done someone wrong, I wouldn't do business with anyone.



TJR

 

[KentheREALone Z]

Gay Terrorists that live in All-States..:wub:

 

[Tom Schindler]

TJR,



They are not horror stories. They were witnessed by my wife (then girlfriend).



As long as you are happy, that is all that matters.





Tom

 

[Rich Stern]

Here is my "Why I have given up on people being personally responsible" story of the day...read it and see the blame game that is being played by everyone involved:

Why do I have a feeling that this story will develop as follows: The woman who died was an illegal alien. She was shot with a stolen gun, wielded by a drug dealer who was on parole after serving six months of a ten year sentence, who also happened to be an Iraqi War veteran with post traumatic stress disorder. The hospital in question receives inadequate state and federal funding, is falling apart and cannot keep up with the flow of health care problems from mostly illegal aliens. Furthermore, because of California's spiraling energy costs due to shortages and Global Warming legislative initiatives, plus hospital revenue shortfalls from non-paying paitients that they legally must treat, and costs from lawsuits, exhorbinant malpractice premiums, and minimum wage increases, the hospital was forced to further cut staff, which resulted in severe shortages of personnel during peak periods in the emergency room.



In other words, it was all George Bush's fault.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Rich,



Bwahahahaha.



Like I said, the personal responsibility genie is out of the bottle and she ain't going back in.



Seems to me for the story I gave the link to that the ONLY one doing their job was the 911 operator. As far as I am concerned IF you have medical emergency AND you are already in the ER then clearly there is nothing more than emergency services CAN or SHOULD do for you. But the story sounds like the 911 operator will be the main scapegoat.



TJR

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

TJR, I saw the story ealier today, and watched a video of it on msn.com. It seems the Hospital is going to take the fall for this one. The ED at the hospital is now under Federal Investigation. Amazing that this would happen, BUT, as a hospital employee (I'm an x-ray tech), I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. I work at a hospital that is in a small town, but is one of the biggest here in my area. We have an average waiting time of over an hour before you can even get in to see a doctor on more nights than not. The reason being? To many worthless people coming in with problems that they have had for over two weeks. Instead of setting up an appointment to see thier PCP, they wait and show up at the hospital's ED. In turn, tying up Physicians for a hang-nail, when the Physicians could be handling other more serious problems. There are some people here that will actually call an ambulance to come get them just so they won't have to wait in the "traige" area here. I'm dead serious. It's nuts!!!! I'm not saying that the ED in that hospital is not at fault. Because in my eyes, they are. But I am saying that it is very surprising to me that it doesn't happen more often.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Stonemiser,



You are aware that the majority of those people do not have insurance and going to the hospital is cheaper than visiting your doctor.





Tom

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

Caymen, not so here. Almost everyone has insurance here of some type. Most are Access (welfare) which covers everything. They just want the results NOW. They don't want to have to wait and have the Dr. tell them what's wrong. When we get the history it's, "I twisted my ankle 2 weeks ago and it still hurts so I figured it was about time I got it checked out." Of course our hospital is in very tight compitition with the others around so they get it x-rayed and do all the tests, "just so the patient feels like something was done." (exact quote from our head Dr. in the ED) We have actually had people come from the other hospitals (after spending time in thier ED) since they didn't have any x-rays done. The Dr. at the other hospital just told them that it wasn't an emergency and to see thier PCP. So of course we end up doing all the tests on them. We actually see VERY FEW "self pay" patients here. Most of the ones we do see have had recent trauma or do have something wrong with them. I'm not complaining mind you. As far as I'm concerned it's job security and my hopital is the only one in the area that isn't in the red year after year. I'm just stating that it's just a surprise that this sort of thing doesn't happen more often. Sorry for high-jacking the thread Gavin.