Dog-boarding insurance protects you financially if an animal becomes sick or injured while in your care.
All businesses serving the pet industry should carry insurance, including dog-boarding facilities. No matter how safe and secure your facility may be, accidents can happen at any time, and you bear legal responsibility for all pets in your care. A good insurance policy will protect you financially should a client take legal action for a dog-related event on or off your property, according to Compare Pet Insurance Plans. A variety of policies are available that can be purchased via insurance agents or pet-business associations.
Coverage
A basic insurance policy should cover you for liability if a dog becomes sick, injured or dies while housed in your facility, according to Financial Web. General liability will cover you if a client is injured on your property or if a dog escapes and bites a stranger, according to Compare Pet Insurance Plans. You may also want a quote that includes coverage for fire, natural disaster and other property-related damages. And if your dog-boarding business provides pick-up and drop-off service, you’ll need coverage for vehicles that transport animals.
Premiums
Count on spending several hundred dollars a year to insure your dog-boarding business. For example, Kennel Pro offers a basic package that costs $500 annually with options to upgrade coverage as needed. According to Kennel Pak, your annual premium should provide liability coverage to $1 million or more, and the policy should protect you against loss of income if you’re involved in legal action that shuts down your business.
Agents
Consult your homeowner’s insurance company first to see if it can offer a policy for your boarding business. If not, a variety of independent pet-service insurers can be found on the Internet. When speaking with an agent, be clear about your type of business. Pet-service policies also exist for kennel breeding, but these may have additional requirements you won’t need covered as a boarding-only facility. If you’d like to gather basic information before calling an insurer, most websites provide online quote functions to get you started.
Agents
Membership in a pet-service association typically gives you access to insurance plans. For example, the Pet Care Services Association offers a plan to its members. However, this adds cost you may not need, unless membership will benefit you in other ways. Depending on the type of membership, the PCSA charges several hundred dollars for an annual fee.
Claims
Filing a claim on a dog-boarding policy works the same as making a claim on your homeowner’s or car-insurance policy. Document the incident, accident or problem with photos. If law enforcement is involved--say, if there’s an accident involving your business vehicle--obtain a copy of the police report and make notes about how the accident happened. Contact your agent immediately, especially if the incident involves dog injury or death.
Related posts
Loving dogs should not be your only reason to want to start a boarding service. You must know handle dogs and know what to do in case of emergencies such as sudden illnesses. You should cultivate...
Pit bull insurance protects owners from liability for dog bites.According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dogs bite more than 4.7 million U.S. residents every year, as of 2...
Start a Dog Boarding ServiceA dog boarding service will house and care for the dog while the owner is away, whether it's a long vacation or simply while the owner is at work. Owning a boarding bus...
At some point in time, every pet owner will need someone to care for his pets. When a pet is like a family member, finding the right boarding facility can be a difficult task. There is a need in m...
Finding a bed for Bowser is serious work for the dog owner about to go on vacation.According to the Pet Food Institute, approximately 75 million dogs live in American homes. It's a safe bet that a...
