If you’re one of those pet enthusiasts, pet sitting could be your dream job. But just like any other job you might find, pet sitting comes with its own challenges and risks.
On paper, it looks like taking care of other people’s pets is easy, but in reality, it’s far from that. For these reasons, you should look for pet sitting insurance, which can cover injuries while the pet is under care. In most cases, you’ll be held responsible for the actions associated with the incidents.
For this reason, it’s essential to have pet sitting insurance and a pet sitting bond because it might just help avoid having a financial problem on your hands.
What is the difference between bonded and insured, you might ask? Well, you’re in luck, since today we’re going to look at the difference between having a pet sitter insurance and bonding, and explain everything there is to know about it.
Let’s see what we’ve got!
What’s the Main Difference Between Bonded and Insured?
Pet sitting and bonding come together, but they are different after all.
First of all, pet sitting is temporary caring for someone’s pet that commonly occurs in the owner’s home. Pet sitting includes taking care of the pet, walking, and feeding it.
On the other hand, in broad terms, bonding is customer protection against any losses caused by the sitter. To be more exact, being bonded as a ‘pet sitter’ provides the client compensation in case of theft.
When it comes to bonding vs insurance, the insurance covers you in case of injuries, while the pet sitting bond protects the customer from the pet sitter in case of property damage.
The pet sitter insurance and bonding vary from state to state. The difference in this aspect is that some states will require bonding before registering your business or before you buy insurance. This is an excellent business practice, as you can prove to potential clients that you are trustworthy in this field of work.
Pet Sitting Insurance – What Is It & What Does it Cover?
In a nutshell, pet sitting insurance is a policy that includes general pet sitting security, which can help you with all costs of legal claims against you as a pet sitter.
Everything from injuries or damage from a third party, a pet sitting insurance will deal with it. In practice, many policies offer additional coverages, which can vary from policy to policy. This is very important for you to read before agreeing on the terms of the policy because not all of them are the same.
Pet sitting insurances can cover various aspects.
First, let’s begin with the third-party property damage. This is one of the most common aspects that all pet sitting insurances cover. It translates to all costs of claims that you’re responsible for in case of damaging someone else’s property.
Liability insurance is the costs of legal claims against you and damage or injury from a third party during business operations.
Vet insurance is coverage of all expenses for veterinary purposes while the pet is in your care. This covers all costs of the treatment, and you won’t have to spend a cent on your own.
The other aspect which is covered by a pet sitting insurance policy is if you lose the owner’s keys. If you do so, the policy will cover all costs for replacing a new key.
To sum it all up, pet sitting insurance provides all the benefits of regular insurance and covers all costs while you’re working. Mistakes on the job go hand in hand, so grab your insurance – just in case!
How to Get Bonded and Insured?
We already covered what bonding means, now it’s time to cover how to get both bonded and insured.
First, as you might guess – do your research!
There are many pet insurance companies that market excellent policies for pet sitters and their owners alike. Many companies that offer pet sitting or dog walking in their offers also provide bonding.
Before you decide where to get bonded and insured, make sure to look for the bonding requirements in your geographical area, as not all companies have the same requirements.
If you have a friend that works as a pet sitter, even better – you already have first-hand information. Additionally, you can always consult with local insurance agents – they’ll know what’s best for you!
