Pet sitting and dog walking might be the most joyful business in this whole series, and it comes with a coverage trap that catches almost every new sitter. You're trusted with someone's pet and often a key to their home, which means you're responsible for two things people care about deeply: their animals and their house. If you're taking on clients, the question worth answering before your first booking is what insurance do I need for a pet sitting business.
The short version: general liability alone leaves your single biggest risk uncovered, and the fix is a specific coverage most new sitters have never heard of. Here's the whole picture for a Tennessee pet care pro.
Start with the gap that surprises everyone, because it's the reason a standard liability policy isn't enough for pet care.
General liability covers injury and damage you cause to other people and their property. But it contains what's called a "care, custody and control" exclusion, which means it does not cover injury to or loss of property that's in your care. And here's the catch: legally, the pet you're watching is the client's property in your care.
So under general liability alone:
That second scenario is the exact nightmare of pet sitting, and it's the one general liability leaves out. A client's dog slipping its leash and getting hit by a car, or getting sick on your watch, can mean vet bills and a heartbroken, angry client, all landing on you personally.
The fix is animal bailee coverage (sometimes called pet protection coverage). It's usually added as an endorsement to your liability policy, and it covers vet bills or lawsuit costs if a pet is hurt, gets sick, escapes, or dies while in your care, custody, or control. For a pet sitter or dog walker, this isn't optional. It's the coverage the whole business turns on.
Even with the care/custody gap, you still need general liability, because plenty of pet-care claims are about third parties and property:
Most pet care businesses carry general liability at $1,000,000 per occurrence. Pair it with animal bailee coverage and you've closed the two biggest gaps: harm to others (general liability) and harm to the pet in your care (animal bailee).
If you read our cleaning business post, this will sound familiar, because pet sitters face the same situation: you're in clients' homes, often alone, sometimes with a key or a door code.
A janitorial-style or business services bond protects your client if you or an employee is accused of theft while in their home. It's not liability insurance (that covers accidents); a bond covers theft. Many clients feel far more comfortable handing over a house key to someone who's "bonded and insured," so beyond the protection, it's a genuine marketing advantage. In a business built entirely on trust, that phrase does real work.
Once liability, animal bailee, and a bond are in place, a few more pieces fit depending on how you operate:
If you take bookings through an app like Rover or Wag, don't assume their protection replaces your own insurance. Platform guarantees are typically limited, apply only to bookings made through that app, and often work as reimbursement programs with conditions rather than a policy you control. Any client you book directly, or any work outside the app's narrow terms, sits outside that protection entirely. This is the same lesson from our Airbnb post: the platform protects the platform first. Your own coverage is what protects you.
This is the happy part. Pet care is one of the most affordable businesses to insure in this entire series. General liability for dog walkers and sitters can start as low as around $15 a month, and often runs in the range of a few hundred dollars a year. Animal bailee coverage is typically a modest add-on. A bond is usually inexpensive. Even a full business owners policy for an established sitter commonly lands under $60 a month.
For a business where one injured or lost pet could mean serious vet bills and a lawsuit, spending a few hundred dollars a year to be properly covered is one of the easiest calls you'll make.
What insurance do I need for a pet sitting business just starting out? At minimum, general liability plus animal bailee (care, custody & control) coverage, because general liability alone won't cover injury to the pets you're watching. Add a bond if you're entering clients' homes, which most sitters are.
Does general liability cover a dog that gets hurt in my care? No. General liability specifically excludes injury to property in your care, and the pet counts as the client's property. You need animal bailee coverage to cover a pet that's hurt, sick, escapes, or dies on your watch.
What's the difference between being bonded and insured? Insurance (general liability plus animal bailee) covers accidents and injuries. A bond covers your client if you or an employee is accused of theft in their home. Clients handing you a house key often want both.
Isn't the coverage from Rover or Wag enough? Usually not. App protections are limited, apply only to bookings through that app, and often act as conditional reimbursement rather than real insurance. Direct clients and anything outside the app's terms aren't covered. Carry your own policy.
Do I need insurance if pet sitting is just a side hustle? If you're getting paid, you have exposure, and one injured or lost pet can cost far more than a year of premium. Pet care insurance is inexpensive enough that even part-time sitters benefit.
What insurance do you need for a pet sitting business? General liability for harm to other people and property, animal bailee coverage for the pets in your care (the gap general liability leaves wide open), and a bond so clients trust you with their keys. Add equipment, commercial auto, workers comp, or a BOP as you grow into transport, boarding, or a team. And don't lean on an app's protection, because it was built to protect the app, not you.
This is post #9 in our Starting a Business in Tennessee series.
If you're starting a pet sitting or dog walking business in Mt. Juliet, Nashville, or anywhere in Tennessee, we'll make sure you've closed the care, custody & control gap, set up your bond, and matched coverage to the services you offer, all shopped across multiple carriers to keep it affordable. We're pet people too, so this one's close to our hearts.
Call us at 615-773-2886 or visit hutins.com before your next booking. Protecting the pets in your care takes about ten minutes.