Here’s a question Sporty Dog Walker would like to ask all of you dog walkers out there: Do you have dog walking insurance? A follow-up question is: Do you believe you should get dog walking insurance?
If your answer to the above was “no” or “I don’t know” or “What does dog walking insurance do for me?”, then this article is for you.
It seems there is insurance for virtually everything these days. Take a risk at doing something, even simple tasks such as dog walking, and you might be liable for some uneventful situation that could cost you an arm and a leg. And yet some risks are worth taking. Still, if you’re risk-averse, then before you rush as a reflex to buy insurance for your dog walking business, we’d like to encourage you to have a look at the information provided here to help you come to a more educated decision.
By operating your business without insurance, you might be putting yourself at greater risk than you think. But there is a timing for everything and risks are everywhere around you, always. When might it be the right time to buy dog walker insurance, if ever? Let’s start with some basic definitions.
What Is Dog Walking Insurance?
Dog walking insurance protects you and your business against any potential costs that can arise due to accident or injury.
We all love dogs, but let’s be honest, they can often be unpredictable. Despite our best efforts sometimes accidents happen. This can result in you having to deal with medical bills, property damage or legal costs.
Insurance can help you have peace of mind, knowing that no matter what happens while you’re running your business you’ll be covered.
Do You Need Insurance For Dog Walking?
If you want to run a professional and well-respected dog walking business, then it is highly recommended that you have insurance.
Dog walking insurance isn’t just a benefit to you. It also protects pet owners and is a huge selling feature for potential clients. Many dog owners won’t leave their pet with someone who is not insured. Give yourself an advantage over your competitors. Study what dog walking insurance can do for you if you were a business.
Why?
Well, put yourself in the owner’s shoes for a moment. Their dog is part of the family. Many owners consider their pets to be like their children. They’re not going to leave their dog with just anyone. Wouldn’t you feel better leaving your dog with someone knowing that if something bad did happen there was insurance to cover any potential costs? Isn’t that what a responsible business would guarantee?
Besides being good for business, dog walking insurance is necessary in certain areas. Some cities require you to have a permit or certification to run a dog walking business, and these permits are only available to those who are insured.
Finally, to be bonded as a dog walker, you must first have insurance. If you’re unfamiliar with the subject of bonding insurance, don’t worry. We’ll cover it in greater detail later in this post.
What Can Happen If You Don’t Have Dog Walking Insurance?
Consider this scenario for a moment:
You’re at the park walking your dogs. One of them poops, so you swoop in and do your dog walker duty by scooping it up. While you’re taking care of the poop another person walks by with their dog. Now, most city dogs are friendly and relatively harmless. However, we’ve all met dogs that are just plain mean for whatever reason. This particular dog walking by you just happens to be that kind.
No sooner are you throwing the poop in the trash than one of your dogs lets out a yelp. You whirl around to find the mean dog attacking your dog while his owner is trying unsuccessfully to restrain him. You jump in and break the dogs up. Your dog is ok but she’s bleeding and might need stitches.
The owner of the dog that attacked the one under your care claims it was your dog that attacked his first, arguing his dog was just defending himself. You find that hard to believe but the owner doesn’t budge. Meanwhile, your dog is bleeding and needs to go to the vet. This is the stuff dog walker nightmares are made of.
You give up trying to reason with the dog owner and take your dog to the vet. It turns out she does need stitches, which results in a costly medical bill.
So, who’s going to pay the bill?
You report the incident to the dog owner. She becomes enraged, claiming that because the dog was in your care at the time of the accident the injury was due to your negligence. She refuses to pay the bill. The owner of the dog that bit yours claims that it was not his fault. He also refuses to pay the bill.
This could mean that you’re on the hook for the bill.
It’s too late by then to think of insurance. But you should have known what dog walkers insurance could have done for you.
What Does Dog Walking Insurance Cover?
The scenario described above is unfortunate, but certainly not uncommon. Sometimes, even though it might not be fair, an accident could result in you having to pay fines, fees or medical bills.
In fact, a vet bill could be the least of your worries. What if you lose a dog while in your care? Or, heaven forbid, what if a dog dies while you are caring for it? What if a dog injures someone else? In such cases, the owners may demand money from you to offset the damages.
Dog walking insurance can protect you against all of this.
No insurance policy is created equal, but most good policies will cover you against the following:
- Injuries to dogs while they are in your care
- Injuries to other dogs, caused by dogs in your care
- Property damage because of dogs in your care
- Lost or stolen dogs
- Death
Types Of Insurance
There are several different types of insurance. Depending on how you operate your business you may need some or all of these.
The distinct types of insurance that you will want to consider are:
- General Liability
- Professional Liability
- Care, Custody and Control
- Bonding Insurance
When purchasing dog walking insurance, you will want to speak with your insurance provider to determine which of the above are included in your plan.
Let’s look at each type now to distinguish the differences between them.
General Liability Insurance
General liability insurance (also known as public liability insurance) protects you against injuries and property damage suffered by members of the public due to your business activities. This type of insurance is recommended for any business that interacts with customers or members of the public.
This is the most basic and the most essential type of coverage that any incorporated dog walking business needs to have. Having general liability insurance will make sure that you are protected against:
- Injuries inflicted on other dogs by the dogs in your care.
- Injuries inflicted on people by the dogs in your care.
- Any property damage caused by the dogs in your care.
It is highly recommended that all dog walking businesses have general liability insurance.
Professional Liability Insurance
Professional liability insurance (also called professional indemnity insurance, or errors and omissions) protects professionals, who offer expert advice or services, against lawsuits from their clients. While general liability insurance will protect cover your business to protect you against injury or property damage, it won’t protect you against claims of damage from your professional advice. If your business offers strictly dog walking and pet sitting services, this sort of coverage may not be required.
However, if part of your business is offering instruction and advice to clients, then you will likely want to consider professional liability insurance. Here’s an example of how professional liability insurance can help you:
You discover a great new dog food. It’s made with all-natural ingredients and by all accounts seems like a great product. You recommend it to a few of your clients and they experience excellent results. The dogs love it and appear to have more energy compared to when they were eating their old dog food.
Then a new client starts using your services and you recommend that she begin feeding her dog this new food. You tell her about the great results that other dogs have had and she is excited to try it.
The next day, you get a call from your new client. Apparently, she had to take her dog to the vet due to an allergic reaction caused by the food that you recommended.
This is one instance where a client could sue for damages due to your professional advice. In this scenario, if you had professional liability coverage, your insurance would help relieve the cost of any legal fees that you might encounter as a consequence of your advice.
Care, Custody And Control
Care, custody and control protects you against damages that occur to a client’s property while it is in your care. For dog walkers, this means you would be protected if any dog in your care becomes sick, gets injured, lost or dies. Dog walking insurance plans often refer to this kind of coverage as animal bailee coverage.
Your insurer would help reimburse you for any veterinary expenses that you may have to deal with if one of the dogs in your care gets sick or injured. It can also help you cover any legal fees that might occur if a client makes a claim against you for damages as a result of losing a dog, or the dog dying while you are caring for it.
This type of coverage doesn’t just protect your business against potential accidents. It also provides reassurance to your clients in case something happens to their dogs while they’re in your care, because they know that there is insurance to cover any eventuality.
Lost Key Liability Insurance
As your business grows you will likely have more and more client house keys in your possession. Many dog walking insurance providers offer coverage to protect you against the loss of keys.
Remember, it’s not just the cost of the key that you need to think about. If you lose your clients’ house keys, it’s quite likely that they will want to have the locks changed in their houses. This can be a large expense, and one you will likely have to pay for if you are at fault.
Lost key liability coverage will protect you against any costs associated with you losing a client’s property keys.
Bonding Insurance
Bonding insurance is a type of coverage that you will need to consider if you have employees working for you and spending time in your clients’ homes.
This type of coverage will protect you against potential losses caused by fraud, theft or incompetence by one of your employees. For dog walking businesses, bonding insurance is primarily used to protect against a client accusing one of your employees of theft. If such a situation arises your bonding insurance will cover most, if not all, of the cost of the theft claim.
Bonding insurance also offers peace of mind to your clients. It can be slightly unnerving for homeowners to have strangers inside their homes while they’re absent. This type of insurance will let them know that they are covered in case anything happens while they’re gone and you’re delivering services. It gives you an enormous advantage with customers who are only starting to investigate dog walking as a service to hire during their work hours, because it shows them that you are prepared to be allowed in their home while they’re out of the house.
What Is Not Covered By Insurance?
Whenever you get insurance it’s important to know what is and what is not covered under your policy. Every policy will be different, but generally any injuries you or the dogs that you personally own suffer while operating your business will not be covered.
It’s also important to note that any accidents that happen under the supervision of your employees or contractors will not be covered unless you specifically add these individuals to your policy.
Speak with your insurance provider before purchasing insurance for your business to make sure that you have all the necessary coverage for the type of operation that you will be running.
How Much Does Dog Walking Insurance Cost?
The cost of your insurance will depend on the amount of coverage that you opt into. Obviously, the more coverage you have, the more expensive it will be.
In addition to the amount of coverage that you purchase, there are few other factors that may increase the cost of your dog walker insurance:
- The amount of business you do
- The number of staff you employ
- How long your dog walking business has been operating
- Where your business is located
The type of business that you operate will also affect the cost of your insurance. If all you offer is dog walking services, then you won’t have to worry about any extra charges. But if you offer any other services, such as pet sitting, then this will likely increase the cost of your insurance policy.
Here are some additional services that might make your insurance more expensive:
- Dog training
- Dog grooming
- Pet daycare
- Housesitting
With so many factors involved in the cost of insurance, it’s impossible for Sporty Dog Walker to tell you exactly how much your plan will cost. However, you should expect to pay anywhere between $100 to $1,000 per year. Check with your local insurance provider.
Dog Walking Insurance Providers
Okay, so you know all the basics now about dog walking insurance, the type of coverage you’ll need and a rough idea of how much it costs. It’s time to choose an insurance provider.
Below is a list of dog walking insurance providers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. We’ve also included some dog walking insurance reviews, if available, for each provider.
Please note that we are not affiliated with any of the providers listed below, nor do we endorse them. They’re listed here as a courtesy to help you expedite your search.
However, it is up to you to do the proper research to determine which provider best suits your needs and fits the type of business model that you want to follow.
USA Dog Walker Insurance Providers
Canadian Dog Walker Insurance Providers
United Kingdom Dog Walker Insurance Providers
Australian Dog Walker Insurance Providers
Other Ways To Protect Yourself
Insurance isn’t the only way that you can protect yourself and your business. In addition to dog walking insurance, you may want to consider the following as well:
Dog Walking Services Contracts
Every time you take on a new client you should propose terms and have them sign a contract. A contract helps ensure that both parties (you and your client) have a clear understanding of what services you will provide. It will also be a chance for you to gather vital information about your client and the dog.
A good contract should include the following:
- The services you will be providing the client.
- The services you will not be providing the client.
- Space for the client to provide essential information about the dog. This should include:
- Food allergies
- Medical issues
- Behavioral issues
By having all this information in writing, and by having the client sign it, you have a legal record of all the services agreed upon and all the information that you were told about the dog beforehand. Here is a couple of scenarios where a contract could protect you:
- You take on a new client and agree to walk his dog 4 times a week. During the first week you take the dog on 4 walks, just like you agreed to. However, at the end of that week the client phones you to complain that you were actually supposed to take the dog on 5 walks per week. Had you signed a contract, you could simply show it as proof that you are fulfilling the obligations you both agreed to.
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- You start walking a new dog. In the information section of your contract the owner doesn’t specify any food allergies. You always carry a few treats with you to reward good behavior, and one day you feed the new dog a treat. The dog has an allergic reaction and needs to be taken to the vet. It turns out that the treat contained corn, something the dog is allergic to. The owner claims that he had told you about the beef allergy. But because you have a contract, you have proof that in fact he didn’t tell you about the allergy.
Liability Waivers
In addition to a contract, you should also have every client sign a liability waiver. The purpose of a waiver is to outline the responsibilities of both you and your client, as well as to make it clear what you will and won’t be held liable for. Here are a few things you may want to include in your waiver that you are not to be held accountable for:
- You will not be liable for any veterinary expenses not caused by your negligence while the dog is in your care.
- You will not be liable for any injury to the dog caused by the dog itself.
- You will not be liable for any theft or damage to the owner’s home, if any other person has access to the property while you’re doing business with the client.
- The owner will be liable for any medical expenses and damages resulting from injury to you caused by the dog.
Dog Walking Contract/Waiver Examples
Here is a few examples of dog walking contracts and waivers that you can use as models when writing your own contract:
- Free Legal Documents Dog Walking Contract
- American K9 Walkers Waiver Application (pdf)
- Midday Play Pet Services Dog Walking Liability and Waiver Policies (pdf)
- Walks of Nature Dog Walking Contract (pdf)
Incorporating As A Limited Liability Company
One final step to help protect yourself from damage while you decide on buying dog walking insurance is to incorporate as a Limited Liability Company or LLC. If you operate your business as a sole proprietorship or a partnership, then the law views you and your business as the same entity. That means that if someone decides to sue your business, both your business assets and your personal assets will be at risk.
The advantage of an LLC is that it separates you from the business. The law will view you and your business as separate entities. This creates a protective barrier between you and the business in case anything goes wrong while you’re on duty. If someone decides to sue your business, then only your business assets will be at risk, not your personal assets.
Starting an LLC certainly isn’t a necessity, but it’s something you may want to consider depending on your tolerance for risk.
Conclusion
As you can see, insurance is a vital part of any serious dog walking company. Not only will it protect your business against any accidents and unforeseen circumstances, but most clients will expect you to be insured before they decide on giving you continuous business. Therefore, beyond a few tryout walks with new clients, you’re more likely than not to need dog walking insurance. Some may not even hire you once without insurance.
However, make sure to research all your options before choosing a dog walking insurance plan. Having insurance isn’t enough. You need to make sure that you have the right plan for your type of business model. If you follow all the steps in this article and complete your plan on how to become a dog walker, you’ll be sure to set yourself up for success.