Most of us can’t resist sharing pictures of our cute pups will all of our friends on social media. Melina Efthimaiadis felt the same way when she shared photos of her dog, Zeus, on Facebook. Who wouldn’t want to see some adorable dog pictures? Well apparently Nationwide Insurance had a problem with the cute doggy pics.
The trouble started when Efthimaiadis and her husband applied for personal umbrella liability insurance to be added to their Nationwide homeowners policy. They were required to list the number of dogs in their home and their breeds. Efthimaiadis made it clear that she and her husband had three dogs, a Shih Tzu and Yorkshire Terrier mix, a Hound, and Hound and Labrador Retriever mix. Efthimaiadis is a practicing veterinarian, so she would know what breeds her pups are.
Nationwide not only denied the extra insurance, but cancelled their policy, as well. The company claimed that the couple had an ineligible dog breed that they hadn’t disclosed. And how did they come to this brilliant conclusion? They saw a picture of Zeus on Facebook and guessed that he was a Rottweiler mix, which Nationwide considers to be a “dangerous” breed.
Efthimaiadis called the company to clear up the confusion, but instead of reinstating the policy, Nationwide said they would require a note from a veterinarian confirming the dog’s breed. Since Efthimaiadis is a veterinarian, this wasn’t a problem. With the new information, Nationwide offered to reinstate the policy, but Efthimaiadis chose to take her business elsewhere after all that had happened.
Nationwide stated that it is their policy to contact their customer if they are unsure of a dog’s breed, but the policy was not followed in this case. Any vet can tell you it is the height of stupidity to judge a mixed-breed dog’s ancestry from a Facebook photo, not to mention how stupid it is to judge a dog as “dangerous” based on its breed. Other insurance companies like State Farm don’t discriminate based on breed, so check which company you’re dealing with when you buy insurance. Support companies that aren’t so ignorant when it comes to dogs.
What would you do if your insurance company dropped you over a Facebook photo? Are you going to be more careful about which pictures you make public after reading this? Let us know in the comments below!
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