Dog walker insurance

When is an insured dog not insured? I think we’re probably all pretty well versed in this:

• When it’s pre-existing.
• When the policy has been cancelled.
• If it’s an excluded condition.
• If it’s a preventable disease and a prophylaxis hasn’t been given.

Yet there is an area where medical insurance may not cover your dog: depending who it is with at the time of the incident.

Yes, a clause in your dog insurance policy may state if the dog is with a “third party” they are not covered for health issues or injuries during this period. If, like many people, you use a dog walker or a pet buddy style service your dog may not have insurance when with these people.

Insurance is insurance, isn’t it?

Aha, I hear you say, my dog walker is insured. Yes, that’s great, but have you asked what they are insured for? The huge majority are covered for third party cover, but fewer will also cover for health claims if your insurance is invalidated.

The many pet buddy/borrowing services also say they provide insurance, but this may be limited to third party cover, or if you pay further membership fees and have some accident cover, but it may not be to the amount on your own policy.

What’s the difference?

As dogs are deemed to be under the control of the person walking them that person is liable if they are out of control and cause injury or damage to property or others. Thus, most dog walkers have third party cover, while you will have third party cover as part of your dogs health insurance policy.

This is important as a loose dog can cause all sorts of issues, but I’m sure most of us would probably think our dog health insurance would cover our dog in all circumstances. It’s worth checking your policy wording to see if your dog is covered no matter who is walking it.

What does this mean for us?

As you may know, my dog Hollie isn’t one for socialising and dog walking, so this isn’t a personal issue – but with the rise in professional dog walkers/pet buddy/borrowing schemes, who bears the cost if something goes wrong?

This is a situation I’ve seen more often than I’d care to recall in practice, and it’s heart breaking to see owners who felt they had made good choices with their pet care realise that, despite their best intentions, their health insurance is invalid and the insurance the dog walker/buddy said they had is for injury to others, not your own dog. Or the cover is only for a sum smaller than their own insurance.

I’ve asked quite a few dog walkers where I live about this issue. Apparently it is possible to have health and third party insurance for the dogs you walk, but it is very expensive and so few have it.

What can we do?

As a veterinary professional it can be difficult to “recommend” people for dog walking/sitting as it can be seen as a veterinary validation of the service offered. While many practices have a notice board to allow people to advertise their services, it might make sense to have some space for advising owners on what to look for in a dog walker.

Petplan has put some tips together here that could provide the basis for some advice. Questions such as “who actually walks my dog” and “is it always the same person” are really important in building a relationship between you, your dog and the person walking them.

Clearly, we would advise to check if all the dogs walked are vaccinated, and treated for fleas and worms.

Helpful information

It might also help people to know:

• which vet practice they use if they need urgent help?
• which insurance company they are with (check to see if they are insured)
• how are the dogs are transported – especially in warm weather?
• are all the dogs off or on lead during the walk?

I’m sure you could all probably think of even more question that relate to your dogs’ own needs. I’ve not needed dog care for Hollie since she started using her buggy, so haven’t had to ask “do you allow buggies?” on the walk? When I have to do this I’ll let you know the answer.

While we can’t prevent all accidents and incidents with pets, when people are using others to provide care for their dogs it would be really helpful to provide them with some information on what dog walkers should be doing and what questions to ask to get the service that best matches their needs.