Being a pet care professional is a fun job, but it isn’t always easy. Each time you’re with a furry client, you face risks. We want to talk about those common pet care claims so that you are aware of them, and can do your best to avoid them.
Pooper Scoopers
By providing your professional pet and dog waste services, you’re helping both pets and their families stay healthy and clean. You may be wondering, “What could possibly go wrong cleaning up after a pet?” Well, one of the most common claims that PCI customers have filed is about them being held liable for not securing a door or gate properly, leading to an animal escaping and either getting lost, hurt, or hurting someone else. Each time you are doing your job, make sure that the gate, fence, or door that is keeping the pet enclosed is secure and closed. You can save yourself a huge hassle and avoid this pet care claim by doing this simple step each time.
Another common claim is the pooper scooper doing a lawn treatment on the pet owner’s lawn to neutralize and sanitize the germs on the lawn after cleaning up the poop, or to remove worms and other things that could cause infections. These treatments can sometimes cause allergic reactions in people or pets, or sometimes damage the lawn. You, the pet care professional, can be held liable for any damages done to the lawn or the pet. Always test a small patch before you treat an entire lawn, and disclose treatments before appointments to avoid claims.
To learn more about pet walker claims, take a moment to watch this video.
Pet Sitters and Boarders
Pet sitting can be a fun job because you get to hang out and play with animals all day—however, you still face risks everyday on the job. For example, animals in your care will sometimes bite or fight with other animals. Any damage or harm done to the pet in your care or other people or pets, will be your responsibility. Another common pet care claim is when the pet sitter is walking a dog and the dog attacks another person or pet.
Pet sitters also face a lot of risks if they go into the owner’s home. Usually this comes down to you being held responsible for things the animals do, like soiling the carpet or tearing up the furniture. But you could also cause damage to the home by accidentally knocking something over and breaking it, or causing water damage from a sink, tub, or toilet that overflows. Make sure you treat the home where you are pet sitting with extra care, and that you keep an eye on the pet that you are watching so that you decrease your risks.
To learn more about pet sitter-specific claims, take a look at this video.
Pet Groomers
Pet groomers have a satisfying job of making animals look clean and happy, but they also face risks while taking care of pets. One common pet groomer claim usually involves injury to the animals while providing their services. Licensed insurance agents at PCI have heard of ears being cut, toenails being cut too short, product issues where the pet or the owner has a bad reaction to the soap or shampoo treatment, or having the animal fall off the table or sink where they are grooming and getting injured.
To learn more about pet groomer common claims, take a look here.
Pet groomers also face the risk of animals in their care biting each other or biting other people. As a pet groomer, do your best to be aware of the pet’s allergies, keep the animal under control, stable on the table or in the sink, and happy during their appointments.
Get Insured Today
Because of all of the risks that we talked about today, it’s essential to have an insurance policy for your pet care business to help you if a client files a pet care claim. Pet Care Insurance provides coverage to pet sitters, dog trainers, dog walkers, pet groomers, pet boarders, pooper scoopers, and cat sitters starting at $139 per year. You can fill out an application online in less than ten minutes. If you have any questions about the policies, feel free to contact one of our licensed insurance agents to make sure you purchase the correct coverage. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns, we are happy to help!
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