Pet Sitting Insurance and Bonding: What Coverage Dog Walkers and Pet Sitters Need

When a client hands you their keys and their dog's leash, they are trusting you with two of the most important things in their life. Insurance and bonding are how you back up that trust if something goes wrong. Here is what each type of coverage does, what to look for in a policy, and how a claim might actually play out.

Insured versus bonded

Standard general liability policies often exclude animals in your care, which is why care, custody and control coverage matters so much for pet professionals.

Tip: Only advertise "insured and bonded" if you actually carry both. Keep a certificate of insurance ready to share when clients ask.

What to ask before you buy

Pet sitting associations and specialty insurers offer bundled policies. Compare them using these questions:

• ☐ Is care, custody and control included, and what is the per-pet and per-incident limit?
• ☐ Does it cover group dog walks, and how many dogs at once?
• ☐ Are any breeds excluded?
• ☐ Is in-home boarding (pets at your house) covered?
• ☐ Are employees and independent contractors covered, or only you?
• ☐ Is lock and key coverage included, and what is the limit?
• ☐ Does it cover veterinary bills for pets that become ill, not just injured?
• ☐ What is the deductible per claim?
• ☐ Does it include a bond, or is that separate?
• ☐ Does it cover pet taxi trips, or do you need business auto coverage?

Solo pet sitter policies are often priced in the low hundreds of dollars per year, as of 2026, but prices vary by coverage, location and services. Get several quotes.

Worked example: an escaped dog

You are walking a client's beagle when it slips its collar, runs into the street and is struck by a car. The emergency vet bill comes to $4,800.

The same incident also shows why paperwork matters. A signed veterinary release with a spending limit lets you authorise emergency care immediately if you cannot reach the owner. And a second attachment point (harness plus collar) for escape-prone dogs might have prevented the incident entirely.

Bonds in more detail

A bond is not insurance for you. It protects clients. If a client claims theft and the bond pays, the bonding company may seek reimbursement from you. Bonds reassure clients, especially for key-holding and overnight work, but they are not a substitute for careful hiring, background checks and key management.

Do app protection programmes cover you?

Many pet care platforms advertise a guarantee or protection programme for certain incidents during bookings made through the app. These programmes have their own terms, limits, exclusions and claim processes, and they generally apply only to bookings made on that platform. They are not the same as your own policy. If you also take direct clients, you need your own coverage for those bookings.

When you hire: workers' compensation and classification

Once you have employees, most states require workers' compensation insurance. Dog bites, falls on ice and back injuries are real risks in pet care. If you call walkers independent contractors but set their schedules, assign clients and control their methods, they may legally be employees, and an injured "contractor" without coverage can become a costly problem. Talk to a CPA or employment attorney about classification before your first hire.

Also make sure your liability policy covers employees' actions, and that your bond covers employees.

Background checks and trust

Many professional sitters run their own background check and share the summary with clients, and require background checks for every employee. For employees, use a provider that follows the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including written disclosure, authorisation and adverse action notices.

Paperwork that works with your insurance

• Service agreement: defines services, responsibilities and limits of liability as allowed by your state
• Veterinary release: authorises emergency care and sets a spending limit
• Key release and return form: documents keys and codes received and returned
• Pet profile: records health, behaviour and bite history the owner disclosed
• Incident log: records what happened, when and what you did

Insurers ask for these documents when you make a claim. Keep them organised in your pet sitting software.

Steps to take after an incident

1. Make the scene safe and get veterinary or medical care if needed
2. Notify the owner immediately
3. Take photos and gather witness details
4. Write down a timeline while it is fresh
5. Notify your insurer promptly, following the policy's reporting rules
6. Do not admit legal fault or promise to pay before speaking to your insurer
7. Review what happened and update your procedures

Coverage checklist

• ☐ General liability
• ☐ Care, custody and control coverage with adequate per-pet limits
• ☐ Bond covering you and employees
• ☐ Lock and key coverage
• ☐ Business auto coverage if you transport pets
• ☐ Workers' compensation once you have employees
• ☐ Certificate of insurance ready to share
• ☐ Veterinary release and service agreement signed by every client

How much coverage is enough?

There is no single right limit, but think about your realistic worst cases. Emergency surgery for a large dog can run into many thousands of dollars, a dog bite to a person can lead to a much larger claim, and a lost key ring might mean rekeying several homes. Compare per-pet limits with local emergency vet costs, choose a liability limit that matches what clients and landlords expect (many ask for at least $1 million per occurrence), and review your coverage each year as you add services, walkers or in-home boarding.

Renewing and reviewing your policy

Put your renewal date in your calendar and review the policy a month before. Ask whether new services (group walks, boarding, pet taxi, cats only, exotic pets) are covered, update the number of employees, and confirm your certificate of insurance shows current dates before you send it to clients.

Insurance is one of the first things to set up and one of the last things you want to use. Starting a Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Business covers it alongside local permits, safety standards, key security, pricing, apps versus your own brand, route planning, marketing and hiring, with a 30/60/90-day plan to launch confidently.