A Minneapolis dog rescue group has brought to light yet another reason that some of us are considered property/casualty insurance risks – your insurance policy that also covers your personal liability. The Minneapolis group is headed by Beth DeLaForest, who says that placement of certain dogs has become difficult because some insurance companies won’t insure households where such dogs reside.

Of the 30 applications her program receives every month, about five drop out because of insurance problems. Ever since a fatal mauling in San Francisco five years ago, insurance companies been increasingly denying or restricting coverage to homeowners with certain breeds of dogs. The dogs most likely to draw negative attention are: Rottweilers, pit bulls, Doberman pinschers and German shepherds. Insurers can pay steep prices settling dog bite claims and view these dogs as aggressive and more likely to attack and injure someone.

Aggressive dogs “have been expensive for the industry,” said Carolyn Gorman, a Washington-based vice president of the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group. Insurers “should have the latitude to determine what kind of risks they are willing to insure.”

St. Paul Travelers Companies Inc. does not write new policies for homeowners with certain dogs, although when asked, the company declined to disclose specific breeds. Allstate Corp.’s underwriting policies vary state to state (just as with hurricanes); Hartford will not insure people with Rottweilers, pit bulls or Presa Canarios.

Liberty Mutual reviews homeowner policies on a case-by-case basis. If a homeowner has a certain dog, such as an Akita, German shepherd or pit bull, the company wants to know the dog’s training, vaccination history and temperament before deciding on coverage.