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Just like people, there ARE bad dogs. The Chicago Tribune did a series earlier this week about a boy that was attacked by 3 pit bulls who also attacked several other people, including their owner. There had been no earlier attacks, although one of the dogs had been put on some sort of "watch list" by an obdience school trainer for aggressive behavior. All three were related (one was the mother).
The problem with Pit Bulls is that they were bred for fighting until fairly recently. Back in the bad old days, dogs that attacked humans were killed pretty much immediately since the breeders wanted dogs that would attack each other but not people. That changed a few decades ago when criminals began to use dogs to protect drugs, etc. They WANTED dogs that would attack people and bred and trained accordingly. Unfortunately, some of those dogs bred with others who were then sold off to the unsuspecting. The dogs in the Tribune story had untraceable pedigrees since the owner never really knew the folks that gave him the mother.
As far as the insurance angle goes, it's pretty simple - if you have a dog on the list, don't buy coverage from the company that won't cover the dog. It may cost you more, but that's part of being a dog owner. Insurance companies shouldn't be forced to cover things that they don't want to (so long as they exclude it for everyone) or didn't anticipate. It's the same as the Katrina lawsuit - the policies specificially excluded flood damage, and the house was flooded. It is very simple.
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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo
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