Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi. I am now looking into moving to Palm Coast, Florida and I was looking for some specific information regarding my dogs.
(1) the ordinace in Palm Coast appears that you need to annually vaccinate for Distemper and Parvo and Bordatella. Does anyone know how strict this is? I prefer to Titer my dogs and I do not believe in giving Bordatella unless I have an elderly or ill dog. (Same as I would do for myself with the flue shot.) Does the city actually have the right to force you to get vaccines. I know Rabies is the law, but it was the others I was concerned about. I did not want to be forced to over-vaccinate my dogs.
(2) Does anyone know if Florida homeowner's insurance has any breed specific laws? For example, can they cancel your insurance if you have a German Shepherd? For example, in NY, where I live now they can cancel it - but in PA, where I was also looking into moving, it is against the law for the insurance companies to refuse your dog due to its breed.
Any help or information regarding this issues would be appreciated.
(2) Does anyone know if Florida homeowner's insurance has any breed specific laws? For example, can they cancel your insurance if you have a German Shepherd? For example, in NY, where I live now they can cancel it - but in PA, where I was also looking into moving, it is against the law for the insurance companies to refuse your dog due to its breed.
Any help or information regarding this issues would be appreciated.
Thanks a lot!
Yes, there is breed discrimination on behalf of the insurance companies here and the state of Florida does not seem to be doing a thing about it.
It is going to completely depend on which insurer you go with and please do not listen when people tell you "So-and-So" insurance company does not do this - that person may have obtained their homeowner's insurance years ago and things have changed. A new homeowner looking to obtain insurance will be scrutinized much more closely now.
Insurers are much more strict now in Florida about a number of issues because they "supposedly" lost money on insuring homes in Florida when we had back-to-back hurricane years in the recent past. I never had any dog issues with my insurer until I was dropped by my insurance company after the hurricanes. I believe this is now illegal, but a few years back insurance companies thought they had too much risk in FL and started dropping people. I had been with them for 10 years, always paid on time, never made a claim, yet they dropped me (Allstate.....they suck ). Anyway, shopping for replacement insurance was a nightmare and the dogs were only one piece of the puzzle.
I have 2 rescued pit bulls and you know no insurer wants any part of that, never mind that my dogs never have bitten anyone and I doubt they ever will. I quickly learned the only way I was going to get insurance was to change their breed . It was not a matter of paying more and getting the insurance, it was a matter of the insurer refusing to cover me at all. So my dogs became Labradors and Boston terriers . At this point, I will no longer be telling any insurer that I have dogs at all. Yes, I know there is a risk involved in that, but the alternative is forced insurance from my mortgage company and there's no way I'm going down that road.
The list of breed discrimination is long and includes Dalmations, Shar peis, all Bully breeds, often Rottweilers, etc. Every insurer creates their own list (apparently out of thin air....they're just making this stuff up ). They won't let you get away with stating your dog is a mutt either (I tried that). In reality, how do I know what my dogs' DNA is? The tests aren't reliable yet, they're years away from being accurate. I pulled these dogs off the street, it's not like I saw their mother and father. Not to mention pit bull is a type, not a breed, that's why they all look so different.
Obviously a topic I feel passionate about ! But if you have one of the blacklisted dog breeds, you need to know the potential problem.
Obviously a topic I feel passionate about ! But if you have one of the blacklisted dog breeds, you need to know the potential problem.
Thank you -- I am glad you were so thorough. I don't blame you for being passionate. They are your babies - right?? One of my dogs is a Lab -- so he's good. But my other is a dobe / akita & possibly german shepherd mix. She of course is sweet and would never bite - but being 95 lbs, leggy with Dobe markings and a Shep muzzle - I think I might have a problem with my insurance too!
Both my dogs have there CGC's. I'll have to see if that helps.
Does anyone know about the vaccines? Both dogs and cats? Also, I read the city requires a Health Certificate, above and beyond the license. Are the vaccines listed on the health certificates too?
and email for the Flagler Humane Society
humane@bestnetpc
I live in Flagler County, not in the city of Palm Coast, but I have friends who do live there & I never heard of a required bortadella vaccination, not even for the dog parks, as is required some places. Distemper, parvo & of course, rabies is what the county requires.
Riveree is right on, as usual. The insurance companies seem to arbitrarily pick breeds to be on the "bad dog" list. We were told up front that we would not be insured if we owned certain breeds. Just by chance we ended up adopting two which weren't on the list, but I would have called them poodles, unless they're on the list now, too! (The only dog that ever bit me was a chihuahua. )
and email for the Flagler Humane Society
humane@bestnetpc
I live in Flagler County, not in the city of Palm Coast, but I have friends who do live there & I never heard of a required bortadella vaccination, not even for the dog parks, as is required some places. Distemper, parvo & of course, rabies is what the county requires.
Riveree is right on, as usual. The insurance companies seem to arbitrarily pick breeds to be on the "bad dog" list. We were told up front that we would not be insured if we owned certain breeds. Just by chance we ended up adopting two which weren't on the list, but I would have called them poodles, unless they're on the list now, too! (The only dog that ever bit me was a chihuahua. )
Thanks. The above link is actually where I read it. This is directly from their ordinances:
Sec. 8-2. Inoculation of dogs; health certificate.
(a) Each dog possessed or owned within the City shall be inoculated annually against the following diseases:
(1) Canine distemper;
(2) Infectious hepatitis;
(3) Leptospirosis;
(4) Tracheobronchitis; and
(5) Canine parvo virus.
(b) Dogs shall be vaccinated for rabies as required by Florida law.
(c) The person who owns or possesses a dog within the City, shall, at all times, have available for inspection an official health certificate of the dog. As used in this section, the term"official health certificate" means a certificate signed by a veterinarian licensed by the state which shows the age, sex, breed, description and health record of the dog, and which shall list the date of all vaccines by type and lot number administered by a licensed veterinarian to the dog and shall state that the animal has no contagious or infectious disease.
My problem with this is, here in NY you can either get Parvo/DistemperHepatitis every TWO years or get a Titer to see if your dog is still immune from their puppy shots.
Bordatella they only give here if your board and Lepto they only give here if you are near raccoons or other wildlife.
Rabies of course is the law since it is transmittable to people but I feel the other shots should be up to the individual pet owner and their vet. If my dog is immune to certain things from their puppy shots, why get more shots. And why get unneccesary shots for things they won't be exposed to?
But maybe if you have never heard of this, they are not that strict about it?
Thanks again for the info. I am a big time dog lover and it is actually a pretty important part of me making this decision whether or not to move to the area. I have e-mailed the city as well and am waiting for a reply.
I also phoned a vet in the area and they told me as far as they know the only required one is Rabies. So maybe this is an outdated ordinance?
I take my babies to Community Animal Clinic in Palm Coast. Dr. Walker is the best vet I've ever been to, 20 minute exam with dog on the table and you as the pet parent. This man cares AND refers to records from previous visits. If there were some regulation per the city of PC or the county, I'd know. If you'd like, p.m. me and I'll fax you the invoice from our annual check-up. All vaccinations are itemized.
(If every regulation in Palm Coast was met, it would be a ghost town.)
[quote=riveree;6128763]Yes, there is breed discrimination on behalf of the insurance companies here and the state of Florida does not seem to be doing a thing about it.
It is going to completely depend on which insurer you go with and please do not listen when people tell you "So-and-So" insurance company does not do this - that person may have obtained their homeowner's insurance years ago and things have changed. A new homeowner looking to obtain insurance will be scrutinized much more closely now.
Insurers are much more strict now in Florida about a number of issues because they "supposedly" lost money on insuring homes in Florida when we had back-to-back hurricane years in the recent past. I never had any dog issues with my insurer until I was dropped by my insurance company after the hurricanes. I believe this is now illegal, but a few years back insurance companies thought they had too much risk in FL and started dropping people. I had been with them for 10 years, always paid on time, never made a claim, yet they dropped me (Allstate.....they suck ). Anyway, shopping for replacement insurance was a nightmare and the dogs were only one piece of the puzzle.
I have 2 rescued pit bulls and you know no insurer wants any part of that, never mind that my dogs never have bitten anyone and I doubt they ever will. I quickly learned the only way I was going to get insurance was to change their breed . It was not a matter of paying more and getting the insurance, it was a matter of the insurer refusing to cover me at all. So my dogs became Labradors and Boston terriers . At this point, I will no longer be telling any insurer that I have dogs at all. Yes, I know there is a risk involved in that, but the alternative is forced insurance from my mortgage company and there's no way I'm going down that road.
The list of breed discrimination is long and includes Dalmations, Shar peis, all Bully breeds, often Rottweilers, etc. Every insurer creates their own list (apparently out of thin air....they're just making this stuff up ). They won't let you get away with stating your dog is a mutt either (I tried that). In reality, how do I know what my dogs' DNA is? The tests aren't reliable yet, they're years away from being accurate. I pulled these dogs off the street, it's not like I saw their mother and father. Not to mention pit bull is a type, not a breed, that's why they all look so different.
Obviously a topic I feel passionate about ! But if you have one of the blacklisted dog breeds, you need to know the potential problem.[/quote
------------------------------------------
"the state of Florida does not seem to be doing a thing about it."
When we have a state attorney general who has a record of working for corporations not the citizens of the state than dont expect anything to be done.
If you look at his record he has no concept of rights of the citizens nor fighting for them but he will fight tooth and nail for insurance companies and other big corps.
Apparantly this is what the people here want as their votes say just that.
I take my babies to Community Animal Clinic in Palm Coast. Dr. Walker is the best vet I've ever been to, 20 minute exam with dog on the table and you as the pet parent. This man cares AND refers to records from previous visits. If there were some regulation per the city of PC or the county, I'd know. If you'd like, p.m. me and I'll fax you the invoice from our annual check-up. All vaccinations are itemized.
(If every regulation in Palm Coast was met, it would be a ghost town.)
Thank you so much! That makes me feel better. I also phoned Safe Haven Vet Center and they said pretty much the same thing.
Phewww.
Now I will just have to look into the CGC being okay with some of the insurance companies with my mixed dog. She is also 10 yrs old and has no bite history - so maybe the two combined will be helpful in obtaining insurance.
Thank you -- I am glad you were so thorough. I don't blame you for being passionate. They are your babies - right?? One of my dogs is a Lab -- so he's good. But my other is a dobe / akita & possibly german shepherd mix. She of course is sweet and would never bite - but being 95 lbs, leggy with Dobe markings and a Shep muzzle - I think I might have a problem with my insurance too!
Both my dogs have there CGC's. I'll have to see if that helps.
I think Akita/GSD/Doberman will override the CGC . I don't know that for a fact, but my guess would be if the breed is on their blacklist, the CGC won't matter a bit (Canine Good Citizen, for those who may be wondering).
Someone I know is a K9 police officer and when his GSD retired, he brought the dog into his home as a family dog. He had a heck of a time with his insurer and had to battle it out with them. Never mind that this is a highly trained police dog who would be living with a highly trained K9 officer . In the end, he got the coverage, but you can see where CGC could mean nothing to the insurers.
I'd call them both labs and keep them out of sight when the inspectors come around. Labs haven't hit any insurer blacklists yet as far as I know .
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
). Anyway, shopping for replacement insurance was a nightmare and the dogs were only one piece of the puzzle.
. It was not a matter of paying more and getting the insurance, it was a matter of the insurer refusing to cover me at all. So my dogs became Labradors and Boston terriers 
! But if you have one of the blacklisted dog breeds, you need to know the potential problem.
She of course is sweet and would never bite - but being 95 lbs, leggy with Dobe markings and a Shep muzzle - I think I might have a problem with my insurance too!
. In the end, he got the coverage, but you can see where CGC could mean nothing to the insurers.
