Best Insurance For Pet Sitters In Canada

Buying Guide | Best insurance for pet sitters in Canada

Because Fluffy, Fido and Finn count on you. In a new 2019 report about pet ownership stats, the Canadian Animal Health Institute notes, “From 2016 to 2018, the Canadian dog population has continued to grow while the population of cats has stabilized. Cats continued to outnumber dogs with 8.3 million cats considered household pets in 2018, down slightly from 2016. Dog population figures for 2018 increased to 8.2 million, up from 7.6 million in 2016.  The Canadian dog population is now nearly equal to the cat population for the first time since these measures were established in 2004.”¹

And with pets living in so many households across Canada, trusted pet sitters are in high demand. Trust is the most important thing that you deliver as a pet sitter. People count on you to take care of their pets when they are away, and, more often than not, their homes as well too.

Pet sitting is about more than just cats & dogs

As a trusted pet sitter, you help give people peace of mind whether it’s a scheduled walk during the workday, visits during a long weekend away or moving in while the humans “snowbird” during the snowy winter months. From the moment your client hands over their house keys and security system pin codes, you assume important responsibilities as well as fundamental risks. This is likely why you’re googling “best insurance for pet sitters” to either insure your pet sitting business check out pet sitting coverage solutions.

Pet sitters are trending because people love their pets

Pampering pets isn’t a trend. In a 2017 article about marketing to pet parents, Strategy breaks down pet spending. “Did you know there are streaming channels for dogs suffering from separation anxiety? Or that the sustainably sourced wild salmon in your cat’s bowl can be traced back to the Alaskan fisherman who hauled it in?

What about dog brunch – do you know about that? Or how pets are the new signifier of middle-class status for a generation that can’t afford the old staples of cars and houses? Have you heard of “Yappy Hour?” If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you may be (or know) a millennial pet owner – or “pet parent,” as some prefer.”²

DYK? Some of the common risks pet sitters face can be chased down.

Every pet you sit for is unique. They have their own food preferences, playtime and walking schedules as well as specific cleaning and maintenance requirements.

Here are a few common risks that vigilant pet sitters keep watch for:

• The health of the pet. Has the pet’s veterinarian recently prescribed new medications &/or a specific diet that needs to be strictly administered/followed/monitored?
• Dangers indoors. Houseplants, “ingestible” (e.g. dental floss, string, roller blind chords, etc.), damaged pet toys and more.
• Dangers outdoors. Foreign objects ingested by the pet, interactions with other animals (domestic and wild), extreme temperatures (hot and cold), fleas and more.
• Extended power outages related to extreme weather.
• Property damage related to seasonal flooding, blizzards &/or any dangerous weather-related risks.

Find the best insurance for pet sitters with ALIGNED

As a pet sitter, you provide a valuable service to local pet owners. They trust you to keep their furry companions safe and secure when they are not around. Your job is to help ensure that Fluffy, Fido and Finn stay happy and healthy when their humans are away from home. As a trusted pet sitter, you also need insurance coverage that you can trust to respond to the unique risks you face on the job.

This is where an ALIGNED Insurance broker can help. Across Canada, we have a great experience with matching up the best insurance options for small businesses, including pet sitters. We understand the risks you face in your day-to-day role as well as the insurance market for commercial pet sitting coverage options. To start the process of securing the best insurance for your pet sitting business, just contact one of our Canadian insurance brokers today.

Canadian business insurance insights are just a click away

Knowing what you are getting when you buy commercial insurance is important. You need to know up front, what will and won’t be covered. As the sharing economy expands from condos and apartments to rides, cars and a multitude of personal services, it’s important to know more about your insurance options.

We add new and useful content all the time. Here at ALIGNED, we are proud to deliver a different kind of insurance experience, one that’s exclusively focused on business coverage. To help keep people current about emerging trends, we regularly publish insurance insights like this article.

Source(s): ¹Canadian Animal Health Institute; ² strategyonline.ca “The market for pet parents”

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