Olli Insurance

Pet sitter & dog walker insurance

A pet sitter or dog walker typically needs general liability insurance, because other people's pets, and other people's homes, are the whole job. A dog that bites a stranger on a walk or a house-sit that goes wrong becomes a claim against your business, and clients increasingly ask for proof of coverage before handing over keys.

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Dog walker walking several dogs on leashes in a park

What insurance does a pet sitter or dog walker need?

There's no one-size answer. The right mix depends on how you work, who you work for, and what your contracts ask for. These are the coverages a pet sitter or dog walker typically looks at first:

General liability

The foundation. It covers third-party injuries and property damage while pets are in your care, like a bite on a walk or damage during a house sit, with the $1,000,000 per-occurrence limit clients and buildings typically request.

Commercial auto

Driving between client visits all day is business use of your vehicle, which personal auto policies often exclude. If pets ride with you, the miles are the business.

Coverage always depends on your specific situation. The fastest way to see what fits is to get a quote and review your options.

What does it protect against?

The risks that matter aren't abstract. They're the everyday accidents of the work. A few scenarios that turn into real claims:

A dog in your care bites someone

At the park, the friendly lab you're walking snaps at a jogger. The injury is a third-party claim, and because the dog was in your care when it happened, it lands on your business rather than only the owner's.

A leash incident on a public sidewalk

Three dogs, one squirrel. A leash wraps a passerby's legs, or a lunging dog pulls a cyclist down. Injuries you or your pack cause in public are classic general liability territory, and they happen fast.

A pet is injured or escapes on your watch

A boarding guest slips out a gate, or two dogs fight at your home. This is the risk that needs honest coverage answers, because the pet in your care is treated differently from a stranger's injury (see the FAQ below on care, custody, and control).

A client's home is damaged during a house sit

A sink left running, a candle, a scratched door from an anxious dog. House-sitting means everything in the client's home is briefly your responsibility. Damage claims from house sits are one of the main reasons clients ask sitters for proof of insurance.

Certificates of insurance

For pet sitters and dog walkers, proof-of-insurance requests come from clients first, since many won't hand over house keys without seeing a certificate. Buildings come next: property managers and condo associations often require a COI from walkers working their hallways daily. Pet-care events and some platforms ask too. Olli's general liability policies include instant certificates, so a new client this week doesn't wait on paperwork.

New to certificates? Start with our guide to the certificate of insurance: what's on one, who asks for it, and how to provide yours.

Common questions

Do pet sitters and dog walkers really need insurance?

If you take responsibility for other people's animals in public and other people's homes, yes. One bite, one leash accident, or one house-sit gone wrong can produce a claim far beyond what the job paid. Showing proof of coverage is also increasingly how professional sitters win clients from hobbyists.

What happens if a dog I'm walking bites someone?

The injured person's medical bills, and any lawsuit, become a third-party injury claim, and because the dog was in your care, your business is in the claim's path. That's the scenario general liability is designed for: it's built to help cover damages and legal defense, up to your policy limits.

Does insurance cover the pet in my care?

The honest answer: general liability typically covers injury and damage you cause to third parties, like a stranger the dog bites or a client's rug, but not injury to the animal in your care itself. Standard policies generally exclude damage to property in your care, custody, or control unless the policy is endorsed for it. When you get a quote, ask about animal-bailee style coverage options for the pets themselves.

Am I covered while house-sitting in a client's home?

Damage you cause to a client's property is the kind of third-party claim general liability is designed to address, and during a house sit the client's home is the property you're surrounded by. Every policy has terms and exclusions, so describe your services accurately when you quote, especially if you board pets or stay overnight.

I book through a pet-care app. Doesn't the platform cover me?

Platform protection programs are the platform's, not yours. Their terms, their limits, their decisions, and they typically apply only to bookings made through the app. A policy your business owns covers your work wherever it comes from, and it's what a client or building manager means when they ask for your certificate.

How do I show a client or building proof of insurance?

Get a quote. Once your policy is active, you download a certificate of insurance from your account, because Olli's general liability policies include instant certificates. Buildings usually want to be shown as certificate holder, which you can set when you request it.

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