Do I need to consider insurance as a dog walker?
Whether you are looking to provide casual dog walking services or just starting up your own full-time business, there are a few things to tick off before taking on your first furry client, one being insurance.
Insurance, a dog walker’s best friend
While dog walkers’ insurance might not be the first thing you think of when starting up your own business, it will be the last if you ever find yourself subject to a serious claim.
As a dog walker, you have a responsibility to your clients to ensure their pet is in safe and capable hands from the time it leaves their house to when it’s returned. You can do all the training in the world but dogs can be unpredictable and accidents can happen.
Risks to look out for
Dog walkers can be exposed to a variety of risks, including untrained dogs, new walking locations or unpredictable dog pairings that cause aggressive behaviour. Public liability insurance can help protect a dog walker’s business from these risks.
What is dog walkers’ public liability insurance?
Don’t walk alone. Public liability insurance can help cover a dog walker’s business if a client, their pet or a member of the public are injured or damage to their property occurs, due to your business activities.
Ouch! When liability bites…
So when can public liability insurance come to the rescue? Here are three examples of accidents that may be covered:
- The dog in your care injures a bystander or their pet. In this instance, the bystander may choose to request compensation for any costs associated with the injury.
- The dog is injured while in your care. It can be common for dogs to get excited and slip unexpectedly out of their collars. If this happens during a walk and results in the dog getting injured, you could be liable for the associated injury costs.
- You injure the dog. While these situations are rare, accidents such as injuring a dog still can happen. This can lead to claims for compensation for veterinary costs and other associated expenses.
Keep your insurance on track
The inclusions and exclusions within an insurer’s public liability insurance policy may vary depending on your provider.
Marsh strongly recommends you read your product disclosure statement or contact your provider to learn more about the specific inclusions within your policy.
Don’t just rollover, take the lead with Marsh
Now that you’re armed with a good understanding of the risk exposures faced by dog walkers and how public liability insurance can help cover your business from the unexpected, it’s time to arrange insurance.
Marsh can help dog walkers arrange public liability insurance that’s competitively priced and specifically designed to meet the unique risks of the pet services industry.
Speak to our team members today and call 1300 361 353 to get a competitive quote for pet service insurance.
