So I have a bit of an odd question. As some of you know Jarod and I will be moving in about 5 months when he is done with all of his training with the Army.. I am trying to grasp all the loops I am going to have to go through for moving with Koda and this is something I have been wondering about.

When I move, do I have to "transfer" Koda's license from Maricopa County (where we are now) to the new place, or do I just completely reregister him and the info from Maricopa has no relevance?

I ask because (some of you know this story), Koda does have a "bite record" as far as I know though I am not exactly sure of how it was reported. On his 2nd day ever at his first daycare, where the dogs keep collars on, a dog got their teeth stuck in his collar and thus both dogs were freaking out (being choked/having tooth yanked on).. one of the idiotic staff members put their hands inbetween the two dog's mouths instead of just going right ahead and cutting the collar and one of the dogs bit her (obviously since Koda was trying to get the dog off his collar and the other dog's teeth in his collar and he's trying to chew/yank his teeth off it). The bite was very small, no big deal whatsoever, no stitches or anything other than antibiotics were needed.
They had ALL his vaccines on file and for whatever reason reported BOTH the dogs (as they didn't know which it was) to animal control.
Why they did this.. I have no clue. I work at a daycare and if we get bit it's a risk we take working with dogs, nothing happens to the dogs.. also they had ALL vaccines so it was pointless, along with the fact they don't know if it was him or the other pup.

Well, back on track, I am wondering if that info is going to transfer to his next license and carry a bite record for this stupid incident. I obviously want to get homeowner's insurance and the likes, and don't want something like this making my dog look bad. But I don't know how you'd link the two up from different states.. I would guess I'd just have a clean slate for him, right? Does anyone know?


Sorry this was so long!

I would think it's a clean slate since I don't think they have the time/effort/resources to look up every dog that comes along and registers with the state. But that's just speculation.

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Sounds good. I figured that things didn't transfer.. that would be an awful pain in the butt. Glad to hear that!

As has been said, they don't transfer. You will have to register him as if it was the first time in the new location. You may or may not have to disclose bite history with registration, that will depend on what info they want, it will vary from place to place.

What you will have a problem with is home insurance. It is hard enough to find a company that will cover the breed in the first place and there are several who do cover Siberians BUT only with no bite history. That is where your problem will come into play. I would highly advise that you do not lie or try to cover up the issue, if you do and you are found out then it will be even worse. I really hope you can find home ins that will cover Koda despite his bite record but it will be hard so I would definitely start talking to companies early to find out if anyone will work with you and if so who and what conditions there are. I've found several home ins companies that will cover Siberians but only if they have no bite history and I haven't found a single ins company that will cover one with a bite history. Best of luck to you as I fear you will seriously need it. I know it's a bad situation and that Koda really wasn't to blame but if you lie to the insurance company and they find out Koda does have a bite history you could have your insurance policy canceled and have an even harder time getting a new policy as a result with someone else.

I don't recommend telling them no when they ask about bite history in your case Heather because yours is on record and Len's incident is not on record (as far as I know). It's like a person who has a speeding ticket versus a person who has speed but never received a ticket for it. The person who has sped but not received a ticket would be a lot safer answering "no" when asked, "Have you ever sped?" Whereas the person who has a speeding ticket on record is not as likely to get away with the fib as easily. See my point?

Worst case scenario is that you get home insurance without animal liability or you pay an extra premium for animal liability coverage. Not ideal but it beats not having insurance at all (in the event they find out and cancel your policy) or the risk of paying out of pocket (because of no animal liability clause) if there is ever an animal liability claim.

Again, I really hope you find someone to cover you with Koda but strongly caution against denying a bite history (especially in your case with a bite on record) or fibbing about breed. Having a CGC certificate would help too if you have one or are thinking about it.