Starting your own dog-walking business doesn’t sound too complicated, however much like any other business owner, you should have liability insurance before you begin offering your services. Insurance will protect you, your assets, and your future customers, and will give them that precious peace of mind knowing that you have means to cover injuries or other problems that might occur.
First, you need to contact the insurance agent who takes care of your homeowners, vehicles or any other type of insurance. Even though your insurance agent might not be informed about dog-walkers liability insurance, he should be capable of finding a selection of different providers and be able to give you quotes from each.
It is useful to join a pet sitters or dog walkers association as an alternative to contacting an insurance agent. Review the benefits and fees associated with each one before deciding which one you will join.
Filling out the application is the next step. Prepare information such as your gross income and whether you’ll need to cover things such as grooming, pet care in your home and house sitting.
Prepare any other necessary documentation, which might include association membership papers or any bonds that you already have in place, and submit your application. If you are applying via your insurance agent, the agent will submit the application for you.
Finally, inquire about bonding requirements in your. In simple terms, a ‘bond’ is an additional insurance policy that deals with your reputation. If you’re bonded, your clients are assured that you are trustworthy.
After all, reputation in this kind of business is how you manage to keep your existing customers and gain new ones. Each dog-owner wants only the best for his ball of fur.