I too would be cautious coming up suddenly on three pit bulldogs lurking in the road. These dogs have a bad reputation for viciousness, very strong jaws and not letting go. It is said they are actually as gentle as a lamb. The ferocious ones are trained to be that way. Like lawyers, it is the 95 % that give all the others a bad name. I probably would have turned around at the sight of them, and looked for another way.
Except not all Pits are gentle as little lambs, there is a reason why homeowners insurance companies won't insure a home with Pits. I'm a landlord, and my commercial policy on the buildings won't allow me to rent to anyone with a Pit. There are a few other dogs they won't allow either. This reputation Pits have is documented by claims at insurance companies which is why they don't want them on the property.
My mom had a Pit and it was gentle as a lamb, but others are not. So, while 5% (no documented percentage available, but let's use that since that example was given) other breeds will be less than .01%, so that is why insurance companies don't want that breed as well as a few others. I only accept small dogs, and they have to show renters insurance in case of a liability issue, plus pay $20 a month extra which effectively discourages most of my renters from having a dog or a cat, which I do not allow cats at all.
The other dogs insurance companies don't like are Chows, Rotts, Doby's, Presa Canarios, and even German Shepherds. Some other insurance companies will get even pickier and they add another 5 dog breeds to that list, Great Danes, Akitas, Siberian Husky, and wolf hybrids. But if you are willing to pay a higher premium you can find insurance companies that will accept any dog, but I'm trying to keep my premiums, thus expenses, low.
I had no idea about dogs and insurance premiums. Instinctively, it does make a lot of sense. I mean, who wants to be in a place populated by dogs half the size of a horse, and animals known for deadly attacks? You want to live in a safe place, not return to the jungle. It is the same reasoning that prevents renting to some kinds of people. Is it appropriate to move a repeat recidivist offender who is in and out of prison next door to a family with children? It is not a good idea because, like some dogs, they raise the possibility of harm to others.
I do background checks on all would-be renters, but laws in Indiana are such that a convicted child molester is required to tell landlords of their status because if there are families living in an apartment the molester cannot be there or face being arrested. There are special places these people can go where they're not around kids and they must register wherever they live, I have a special place I would like to see those people go live, but the law would frown on me taking them there...
Even if after doing a background check and they check out ok, move in, then suddenly are doing illegal activities, here in Indiana, once the person is arrested, I can go to court and get an emergency 7 day eviction. One of the buildings I bought had such a tenant, thankfully he got arrested, and I evicted him, more thankfully he accepted Christ into his heart at a later date, but I would still not rent to him because of the damage he did when he left and has never paid for those damages, but he has been straight and legal now for the last 12 years and to me that's more important than paying me back for the damages.
Also here in Indiana, there is what is called Section 8 housing, these places take poor people and felons, I will not convert any of my places to Section 8 even though I would probably make more money, and guaranteed payment.
I was in another line of business for over 25 years before becoming a landlord, that line of business required that I be a quick and accurate study of people, and due to that experience I know when someone is not going to be a good renter, and all the people that I have rented to have never given me an ounce of problems. Landlords are not supposed to not rent to someone because they think that person may be bad, but there are loopholes we use to get around that.
The one thing I forgot to mention is that a renter who has a dog must also pay a $100 security deposit that is non-refundable, on top of the $20 a month and renters insurance. So far I haven't run into any issues with some strange dog, they do have to tell me the type of dog due to my insurance company's restrictions so I can give them a thumbs up or down. If I ever do run into a problem like someone gets a dog and doesn't tell me the monthly fee will be double! That would probably make them move out, which would be fine with me.
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