Your Definitive Guide to Pet Sitting Insurance for 2023 (2024)

A guide to help professional pet sitters and dog walkers with the process of getting insured and bonded.

Time To Pet is not an insurance agent and does not sell insurance products. This article is meant as a guide to help Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers understand Pet Sitting Insurance and to direct them to where they can find additional information. Time To Pet does not endorse any Pet Insurance company or product.

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As a professional pet sitter, it's important to have the right insurance coverage to protect yourself, your clients, and their pets. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about pet sitting insurance in 2023.

Starting a pet sitting or dog walking business is a risky venture. In fact — starting any type of business involves a level of risk. This is more than just thecosts to start a pet sitting or dog walking business. You are risking your time, your energy, and other opportunities. While you may not be investing a million dollars — you are still making an investment. The goal of your business is to provide a return on that investment, but occasionally — the return is not what you expected — hence the risk!

Why Do You Need Pet Sitting Insurance?

Pet sitting insurance is a crucial part of protecting your business. It covers you in case of accidents, injuries, or damages that occur while you're caring for a client's pet. Without insurance, you could be liable for costly medical bills or legal expenses, which could put your business at risk.

Now Pet Sitting Insurance fits into this puzzle by mitigating your risk for particular actions and/or occurrences by transferring the risk to an Insurance Carrier who then charges you a fee. Your Insurance Carrier pools the risk of many clients to make the payments more affordable for their customers.

Time To Pet highly recommends that pet sitters and dog walkers carry some form of Pet Sitting Insurance to help mitigate their risk. Pet Sitting Insurance can give you financial protection if an accident occurs and having insurance can also provide you, your staff members, and your clients peace of mind. Think of it this way — if you were hiring a contractor to build your house and narrowed it down to two, but one had insurance and one didn't — who would you pick?

While the actual items included in a Pet Sitting Insurance Policy can vary from Carrier to Carrier — it is important to look for two key items.

General Liability

General Liability protects your business from things like bodily injury, personal injury, or property damage caused by your business' operations. While General Liability can be comprehensive — it does not protect your business from all liability. However, General Liability is the core of Pet Sitting Insurance. Some examples of what General Liability may cover you from could be if you were walking a dog and the dog in your care bit someone who happened to be walking past you. Another example could be if you forgot to put the dog in your care in the spare bedroom, and the dog ate the new leather couch in the living room after you had left. General Liability protects pet sitters and dog walkers against third party claims (the key is a third party — someone besides you) caused by you or your staff member's negligence.

Bonding

You may have heard professionals mention that they are "Insured and Bonded." The Insured part represents being covered by an Insurance Policy. The bonding part is quite different. While technically not insurance, being "Bonded" protects your business from theft or mysterious disappearance of your client's personal property. While having a client's watch going missing while their pets were under your care is a nightmare scenario — bonding can help protect your business from that situation.

Are you in the process of starting your dog walking or pet sitting business? We have a guide with all the resources you'll need!

Pet Care Insurance Providers

Several providers offer Pet Sitting Insurance in the United States. Business Insurers of the Carolinas and Pet Sitters Associates tend to be the most popular pet business insurance provider among Time To Pet clients. Here are the four major providers:

• Business Insurers of the Carolinas— Providing coverage since 1992. Must be a member of NAPPS or PSI.
• Pet Sitters Associates— Providing coverage since 1998. Pet Sitters Associates offers lots of options including a Business Listing service.
• Kennel Pro— Offering three different packages.
• Pet Care Insurance— Offers products for many different pet care professionals.

How Much Does Pet Sitting Insurance Cost?

The cost of pet sitting insurance can vary depending on a number of factors, including the level of coverage you need, the size of your business, and your location. On average, pet sitting insurance can cost anywhere from $250 to $500 per year. However, the cost of the policy is minimal compared to the potential costs of an uninsured incident. We highly recommend contacting one of the above providers to get a specific quote for your business.

Tips for Choosing the Right Pet Sitting Insurance

When choosing pet sitting insurance, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Make sure the coverage includes both general liability insurance and bonding.
• Ensure that the team behind the insurance product can answer your questions and will be there in the future if you need assistance.
• Check the coverage limits to ensure they meet your needs.
• Read the policy carefully to understand any exclusions or limitations.
• Consider the provider's reputation and customer service. The best way to do this is to ask around if any colleagues have experience with the provider.
• Get multiple quotes to compare prices and coverage.

Other Types of Insurance

There are many other types of insurance outside of the scope of Pet Sitting Software that you may want to consider. Those can include:

• Worker's Compensation— Can provide coverage for your staff members for injuries occurring on the job
• Commercial Auto Insurance— Can protect you and your team when dealing with automobile incidents
• Umbrella Policies— To help fill in any gaps in your insurance coverage

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Additional Pet Sitting Insurance Resources

Pet Care Insurance in Canada

• Binks Pet Sitters Insurance — Binks is a general insurance company offering policies and programs for many specific industries and commercial uses.
• PROfur Insurance for Pet Care Professionals — PROfuris a specialty insurance policy for pet care professionals in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island.

Pet Care Insurance in the UK

• Pet Business Insurance — Pet Business Insurance specializes in providing insurance coverage for all types of pet businesses.
• Cliverton — Cliverton offers insurance coverage for most animal-related trades, including dog walking, pet sitting, pet taxi, mobile grooming, and much much more!

Conclusion

Pet sitting insurance is a must-have for any professional pet sitter. It protects you, your clients, and their pets in case of accidents, injuries, or damages. By understanding the types of coverage available, what pet sitting insurance covers, and how to choose the right provider, you can ensure that you have the right insurance coverage to protect your business and give you peace of mind. So, make sure to invest in the right pet sitting insurance policy for your business and enjoy running your pet care business without any worries!

Time To Pet is not an insurance agent and does not sell insurance products. This article is meant as a guide to help Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers understand Pet Sitting Insurance and to direct them to where they can find additional information. Time To Pet does not endorse any Pet Insurance company or product.