John, I applaud you for taking that stand. I do mortgages part time and did not know about Liberty Mutual. My main job is working for State Farm and we do not ban breeds. Only questions are regarding "ever bitten anyone? & trained for attack/guard purposes?" Even then, I don't believe that would cause a cancellation.

Most likely the insurance company application your mother signed asked about dogs & breeds. It wouldn't be a good idea to not be there the day of the inspection because if the insurance company were to find out there was a dog on the property (say from a dog bite, or an adjuster sent to investigate a claim completely unrelated to the dog) it would be considered a lie & would render the policy null & void. Not a good idea at all!!!!

The best solution would be to go with a different carrier. Ask your mother for a copy of the policy declarations page then get busy calling the carriers mentioned by the other posters, and call various agents/brokers from the yellow pages and get some quotes. It could be the other carriers offer better coverage AND better rates. If the rates are higher, offer to pay the difference every year you are still at home.

If your mom doesn't want to do that, you are definitely in a tight spot. Ask the carrier if they will endorse the policy with a signed dog exclusion. Some companies will issue them, some feel they won't stand up in court so they aren't worth the paper they are written on & therefore won't issue. If your mom won't consider changing carriers, this might be your only resort. If you do choose to have the dog excluded, you will need to obtain seperate liability coverage. You can purchase a renters policy, (even if you are not renting, this policy still provides the coverage you need) or some carriers offer a stand alone liability policy. Whatever you do, please don't go bald (without coverage).

When you own a dog, you must be able to pay for any damage caused by the dog. Medical bills can be astronomical, and I'm sure you would want to be a responsible dog owner if your dog were to hurt someone.

Please let us know what happens.

I live in Indiana and several years ago my insurance company dropped me for having German Shepherds. State Farm has no issues with dog breeds. I currently have Mototist Insurance as my homeowners carrier and they insist on a rider that prohibits coverage for my dogs. I also checked on American Family last year to see if I could get a better rate. They couldn't beat Mototist but also had no issues with dogs at the time. Hope this helps.

Thanks for all the info on State Farm - I have been looking to switch insurance companies for my home and vehicle and definately do not want to support an agency that discriminates against breeds!

silly question, are there any "deed of ownership restrictions" on the home/property? if so a deed restriction may supersede all. I hope you don't have a deed restriction. Your new German Shepherd is for what need? Service & Guide Dogs are exempt from exclusion based on service performed.

I just bought an umbrella policy from Geico. They did ask if I had dogs, I gave number and breed(s). They had no objections to my GSD or lab mix. All they wanted to know was if I had been sued in the past, or if I held any positions that would likely lead me to be sued in the future, and of course they looked at my driving record.