The Friendly Dog the Customer Forgot to Mention

DEPARTMENT 3 — ASK ANOTHER QUESTION
By Eddie K. Emmett | October 2026

• The homeowner's application is almost finished.
• The house looks ordinary.
• No pool.
• No trampoline.
• No obvious business exposure.

Then the producer hears barking in the background.
“Oh, that's Bruno,” the customer says. “He's harmless. Everybody loves him.”
That is not a reason to panic.
It is a reason to ask another question.
The producer's job isn't to decide whether Bruno is a good dog.
It's to discover the facts the carrier asks about—and the facts that may affect eligibility, underwriting, or liability exposure.

STOP. ASK ANOTHER QUESTION.
The first question shouldn't necessarily be:
“Does your dog bite?”
That's a yes-or-no question that may not tell you very much.
A better opening might be:
“Tell me about Bruno.”
Now listen.

• How old is he?
• How long has the customer had him?
• Has anything ever happened involving him?
• Where does he stay?
• Who regularly interacts with him?
• The goal isn't to interrogate the customer.

The goal is to discover the exposure.

The Questions Worth Asking:
Depending on the carrier's application and underwriting requirements, the producer may need to explore questions such as:

• How many dogs are in the household?
• What are their breeds or mixes, if known?
• Has any dog ever bitten, injured, chased or aggressively threatened a person or another animal?
• Has there ever been a prior claim, complaint, animal-control event or special restriction?
• Is the dog regularly around children, customers, tenants, delivery people or other visitors?
• Does the carrier have animal-related underwriting questions, restrictions or documentation requirements that need to be addressed?

The important point is that the producer shouldn't invent the rules.

• Don't assume every carrier treats every animal the same way.
• Don't rely on an old underwriting rule you remember from another company.
• And don't substitute your personal opinion of the dog for the carrier's requirements.
• “Bruno is a sweetheart” may be true.

It just isn't an underwriting answer.

Work the Five Disciplines:

HEAR: There is an animal exposure that wasn't previously discussed.
The producer heard something that wasn't obvious from the application.
That's the moment to slow down.

ASK: Obtain the facts relevant to the customer's liability exposure and the carrier's current application and underwriting questions.
Don't ask questions simply because you have always asked them.
Ask because the answer could matter.

VERIFY: Check the carrier's current underwriting requirements and policy provisions.

• Don't rely on memory.
• Don't assume that another carrier's treatment of the same situation applies here.
• And don't tell the customer that coverage exists—or doesn't exist—until you've verified what needs to be verified.

DOCUMENT: Record the important facts.
Document:

• What the customer disclosed
• The questions asked
• The customer's answers
• Any relevant prior incident disclosed
• Any carrier referral
• Any underwriting decision or instruction
• What the producer told the customer
• What happens next

A good file should tell the story without requiring everyone to remember the conversation.

NEXT SAFE ACTION: Complete the underwriting process accurately.
If additional information or carrier review is required, obtain it.
If the customer needs to consider another coverage solution, explain the issue without making promises.
Don't guess. Verify.

The Lesson Isn't Really About Dogs.
That's what makes this department useful.
The dog is simply the trigger.
The same thing happens when a producer hears:
“My brother is staying with us for a while.”
Or:
“We use the detached garage as a workshop now.”
Or:
“My daughter keeps her car here when she's home from college.”
Or:
“My wife started selling things online.”
Or:
“We rent the house for a few weekends every year.”
Each statement may be nothing—or it may change the insurance conversation.
The professional producer doesn't decide too quickly.
The professional producer asks another question.

What the Customer Doesn't Know Can Matter.
Most customers aren't trying to hide information.
They simply don't know which details matter to insurance.
That's why asking:
“Anything else?”
isn't always enough.
The customer may honestly answer:
“No.”
because, from the customer's perspective, nothing else seems important.
A better producer learns to recognize conversation triggers.

• A new dog.
• A new driver.
• A move.
• A renovation.
• A home business.
• A new vehicle.
• A rental arrangement.
• A new structure.
• A change in occupancy.
• A new recreational vehicle.
• A new source of income.

These aren't necessarily problems.
They're reasons to ask another question.

Eddie's Takeaway: A producer doesn't need to know every answer immediately.
But a producer should learn to recognize when another question is necessary before giving an answer.
That's one of the differences between simply processing an application and actually discovering the customer's risk.
And sometimes the entire discovery process begins with a bark in the background.
“Tell me about Bruno.”

TAKE THIS TO YOUR NEXT AGENCY MEETING.
Ask your producers:
What are five things a customer might casually mention during a homeowners conversation that should make you stop and ask another question?
Give them two minutes.
Then compare their answers.
You may be surprised how many different answers you get.
That's the point.
Producer development isn't just teaching people what to say.
It's teaching them what to notice.

Want to Know More?
Animal liability is only one part of a customer's broader personal liability picture.
When the account warrants a broader conversation, your FYI Express+ How to Insure Personal Umbrella guide can help producers explore the customer's overall liability exposure, ask better questions, and recognize situations that deserve a closer look.

LEARN MORE →

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