Everyone has heard of babysitters but have you ever heard of a pet sitter? When a pet owner goes on vacation or needs to travel for business and they can't take their pet with them they have a few choices. They can board their pet at a kennel facility, ask a neighbor or family member to watch their pet or hire a professional pet sitter. The first option doesn't allow the pet to remain in the pet's own home and can be very impersonal and upsetting to your pet. The second option doesn't allow for that person's schedule and can leave your pet alone too much. The third option is one that many are making these days and one question that will always be asked is if the sitter carries pet sitter insurance.
If you are a pet sitter than you know how important insurance is. If you are just starting out in your pet sitter career or are considering the career you will find valuable information here to help you understand the insurance plans and coverage that are available to you. Be sure to do your homework on the different rates that are available and get quotes from more than one company before you make your decision.
A few very good places to consider beginning your search are professional pet sitter associations. Not only can they aid you in general information about the career but they can also refer you to insurance companies that can give you the ratings quotes you need to make an informed decision. www.petsit.com is the world's largest organization of professional pet sitters. Another good source is NAPPS (National Association of Professional Pet Sitters) located at www.petsitters.org.
Pet sitting is a business and as such you will need to carry liability insurance in order to protect your personal assets. Basically, liability insurance is coverage that takes care of the expenses should you have an accident or damage your client's property or do something that results in harm to the pets in your care while you are in the role of sitter.
Some basics of an insurance plan that will take care of you the sitter and the property, including the pet that you care for, are listed below.
- Premises/operations liability
- Incidental malpractice liability
- Fire legal liability
- Personal injury
Coverage can go as high as $2,000,000 for general aggregate and have deductibles as low as $100. One company www.petsitllc.com is a pet sitting association that includes liability coverage in their membership dues. At only $159 for dues and insurance it bears a second look.