Dog Walking Insurance Quote

What is dog walking insurance?

While dog walking is an easy business to start if you don’t have much money, you nevertheless might want to consider allocating funds for dog walking insurance.

There is always going to be an element of unpredictability when it comes to looking after a four-legged friend. Even the best-behaved dog can cause a bit of trouble. And even the most responsible dog walker can find themselves in a spot of bother. A good dog walking insurance policy can help cover the financial costs of anything going wrong.

Dog walking insurance isn’t one type of business insurance, but rather a term to describe a collection of individual policies that may be applicable to scenarios you could encounter while on the job.

At the heart of your policy will be public liability insurance for dog walking. This is designed to cover the legal fees and compensation costs if you or the dog in your care causes injury to a member of the public, or damages their property, during your business activities.

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Alongside this will usually come care, custody and control insurance. This is in case the dog in your care suffers an injury or illness, runs away and is lost, or were to die, and you were reasonably found at fault.

Non-negligence insurance, meanwhile, covers the same situations as care, custody and control insurance. The difference is that non-negligence cover applies if the injury or illness arose through no fault of your own or your business.

Some providers may label care, custody and control and non-negligence insurance as ‘accident and injury’ cover.

If there is any specialist equipment you use as a dog walker, equipment insurance can help replace anything that is lost, stolen or accidentally damaged.

If you are frequently letting yourself into your clients’ homes with their keys, you may want to consider loss of keys insurance. This will cover the cost of replacing locks if you were to lose your client’s key.

And if you run your dog walking company from a business premise, you might want business buildings and contents insurance.

You will also need employers’ liability insurance if you employ anyone who isn’t a family member and who isn’t based abroad.

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What does dog walking insurance cover?

Below we detail what policies are typically included in dog walking insurance, and what might not be included in your package.

What is usually included in dog walking insurance?

While not each of the following policies are automatically found in a dog walking insurance package, they are among the most common:

• public liability insurance
• care, custody and control insurance
• non-negligence cover
• equipment insurance
• loss of keys insurance
• employers’ liability insurance

Many of these policies will be applicable for other pet businesses, including groomers and trainers.

» MORE: What is business pet insurance?

What is usually not included in dog walking insurance?

Broadly speaking, what isn’t included in your dog walking insurance package is down to what you choose to pay for.

So, for example, if you didn’t opt for loss of keys insurance, and you subsequently lost your customer’s front-door keys, you would have to pay out of your own pocket for the locks to be replaced.

You should also be aware that equipment insurance doesn’t tend to cover general wear and tear over time. So you won’t be able to make a claim for a shabby, old leash!

Similarly, if you haven’t followed security best practices when it comes to your equipment – for example, if you don’t lock up your car or building properly – and an item is then stolen, then your equipment or contents insurance may not apply.

How much does dog walking insurance cost?

The price of dog walking insurance will vary depending on the size and specifics of your business. This may include:

• how many policies you choose to take out
• the level of coverage you want from each policy
• how many employees you have
• where your business is located
• how many years of experience you have as a dog walker
• whether you are self-employed or a limited company