Posted On: July 1, 2008, 7:32 am CDT

Posted By: Ratemaker

How about - because it's too difficult or expensive to verify the presence of a dog in a house.

There's no public database available to my knowledge to pull dog licenses. Anyways, compliance with licensing laws is pretty darn low, especially among the segments of the population who feel the need to own "dangerous" breeds and not train them. The folks who actually comply with licensing laws are less of a concern.

Sure, there's a question on the application, but you only fill out that application once. Does anyone think to contact their homeowners insurer when they get a new pet?

That pretty much leaves paying someone to drive around to all your insured properties, ring the doorbell and listen to see if a dog barks.

Dog bite claims are a concern, but they're not the main cost drivers of homeowners insurance. There's enough other issues with that line that expense dollars aimed at improving it are better spent addressing other information issues first.