Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 11:01 am Post subject: Dog sitter/walker - what should their insurance cover?
Can I ask for some guidance from anyone who dog sits/dog walks or from anyone who uses a dog sitter/walker?
I'm making enquiries with some dog walkers/sitters in our local area and I just wanted to know what kind of insurance they should have and what liabilities their policy should cover. Also, if there are other questions I should be asking apart from those about their experience, background etc, then please let me know.
My Doggy Day Care's insurance covers Berry/me should I say for if anything happens to Berry whilst she is in her (the owner's) care.
My insurance states that I need to have a copy of that insurance to hand as I would still claim through my insurance but because she wasn't in my care they need to see that the person who's care she was in has the insurance.
It can still go through Doggy Day Care's insurance but I would be liable to pay costs that may amount to more than my own excess so I wouldnt personally do that.
Her policy states providing it is not an existing condition (which I would have needed to disclose before allowing the care the commence) if Berry injures herself or falls ill whilst in Claire's care, Claire can either take her to the businesses personal vet or my personal vet and Berry can receive immediate care.
It basically gives Claire the right to make a decision about Berry's wellbeing without having to have my permission. I.e. if she couldnt get hold of me, she can just take Berry to a vet, or if it was an emergency and there was literally no time to call me, she can just take Berry to a vets and have her treated even though she is Berry's legal owner.
You should also be sure you sign some sort of key release form - this should be covered in their geneal insurance, to say that you are happy to give them a key and they should outline where the key will be kept and ensure that the key would not be identifiable to your property should it be stolen.
Their will also be something within their general insurance policy re: your home possessions, i.e. if you came home and something was missing/broken and only the dog sitter had been in the property.
Their policy will also cover other members of their staff (if applicable) in case any other members of their staff will be entering your property/caring for your dog.
You are entitled to a copy of their insurance certificates and policies so don't feel afraid to ask for it and run it past your own insurers if you have any queries.
Ooh and also check if your dog will be having one on one attention or 'group' attention, i.e. if you're paying a dog walker it should be cheaper if the dog is going on a group walk and group walks should not be the same price as solo walks.
Also, if the dog walker/sitter is having the dog in their car, i.e. not walking to and from your property, the insurance also needs to cover travel (i think pretty much all do but best to check) so that in the event of a car accident your dog is still covered.
Sarah - Many thanks for your comprehensive post. Seeking a dog sitter/walker is new territory to us. Normally we ask a friend that we can trust with both our property and our dogs but she also shows her dog and looks after some of her own friend's dogs so she's not always available. In the past we have put the dogs into kennels for a day/overnight but with our numbers having increased, it's quite expensive to do this now.
No problem, I struggled trying to find a suitable and affordable option for Berry as my Dad could only sometimes go in to her and with me starting a new job, I wanted to know she was cared for every day.
She has half days at doggy day care, normally about 5 hours 30 mins, sometimes a bit longer depending on how many/which dogs my dog sitter has that day, as Claire also picks her up and drops her back off again.
Definitely worth checking out all the ins and outs though, as Claire found out, the first farm she set up at lied about their dog licence so she has now moved farms and reprted them, but that would have made her insurance void and gotten her a bad reputation no doubt has it escalated whilst she was still there.
I did feel like i was 'mistrusting' her when I asked for a copy of her insurance but I simply said my insurance would need it for reference if I ever did need to claim and she undersood and was more than happy to sort out a copy for me.
So do I count in your name that you have SEVEN labbies?! I'm not surprised its gotten expensive, Berry costs me enough haha.
So do I count in your name that you have SEVEN labbies?! I'm not surprised its gotten expensive, Berry costs me enough haha.
Yes we have seven - two from field lines and five from show lines. The eldest are 2 and a half, the youngest 10 months. We are a small hobby kennel who regularly show our dogs. So the dog sitter/walker is for days when we are miles away from home. We can manage to pop back to let the dogs out if the show is being held locally.
Well if you're ever heading down Cheshire way at weekends you can offload some of them onto me! Dont think I could cope with 7 though haha, Berry would love it though!!!
My insurance is as follows
1.Dog Walking (no more than 6 dogs at a time)
2.Boarding at my home (up to 6 dogs)
3.Homesitting
4.Pet Taxi
5.Loss of keys and for replacement locks and resetting alarms
I am covered for Public Liability (2 million),Liability to the dog (£5000),Loss of keys and replacement locks (£10,000)
I also have to have written permission from the owners if they want me to exercise their dogs off lead. (I think that's very important)
That's the bare bones.There's a lot of small print which I have read but these are the main things.
All my dogs are privately insured in addition and I always ask when I take a new dog on if this is the case.
Good luck with finding someone you can trust and the dogs enjoy being with.
Well if you're ever heading down Cheshire way at weekends you can offload some of them onto me! Dont think I could cope with 7 though haha, Berry would love it though!!!
You'll be relieved to know that we can only transport up to 3 dogs at the moment, but and if ever we change my car from an estate to a van, and we're showing in Manchester or Birmingham then I'll take you up on that, and drop the 4 or 5 that are not been shown with you for Berry to play with, then pick them up on the way home!!!!!!!
PS Love Berry's name. When our eldest black bitch was 8 weeks, she was so squidgy, just like a juicy berry, so she ended up being named Bramble - didn't think of just Berry as a name at the time.
Last edited by Threerivers on Fri May 07, 2010 5:21 pm; edited 1 time in total
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
