ALBANY – Insurance companies will not be allowed to cancel your homeowners’ policy just because you own a pit bull, rottweiler, or other breed of dog perceived to be dangerous under new legislation signed by Governor Hochul.
Brian Shapiro of Woodstock, state director of the Humane Society of the United States, supports the measure.
“This legislation would ensure that there is not discrimination against people who have pit bulls or German shepherds or dogs that might look like that and an insurance company saying you can’t have a homeowner’s policy; we’re going to discriminate against you. It is totally not found in science the basis for that. This is a good bill and we are pleased the governor has signed that,” he said.
Owners of dogs that have been declared dangerous based on behavior are not covered by the bill, ensuring that insurance companies will be able to base their decisions on actual risk rather than outdated breed stereotypes, Shapiro said.
The next step, he said, will be to introduce legislation with the same protections for renters’ policies.
