Original Article: https://www.dogster.com/dog-health-care/pet-care-insurance-review
Click to Skip Ahead
We give Pet Care Insurance a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
As a business owner, having insurance is so important – especially if you work with animals for a living! As much as we strive to ensure everything goes smoothly and our furry friends are well cared for, accidents happen. For all of the dog walkers, pet groomers, sitters, and more, Pet Care Insurance strives to protect pet professionals when something doesn’t go according to plan. If Fido has an emergency and you need to rush him to the vet, Pet Care Insurance (PCI) will help cover some of those unforeseen expenses.
Pet Care Insurance Review
- Insurance designed exclusively for the pet industry, including common pet-care jobs such as grooming, boarding, and dog walking
- Affordable in comparison to other business liability insurances
- Very simple sign-up process
- Base package includes a lot of great coverage
- Filing a claim is simple and fast
- $250 deductible for veterinary service claims
- Exclusively covers pet-care businesses, nothing else
- Most businesses will need to purchase several add-ons to be fully protected
About Pet Care Insurance
Pet Care Insurance (PCI) is designed exclusively for professionals in the pet industry to make sure that they are covered along with all of the precious creatures in their care. Where most insurance companies are more of a general policy for businesses, PCI creates policies exclusively for problems that only those in the pet industry would experience!
Having been around for over 10 years and currently insuring 14,000+ pet care professionals (according to the PCI website), I believe there is a reason so many trust this particular company to have their back if something goes wrong. PCI is a subdivision of Veracity Insurance, a major company that many in the business world know well.
- Pet Sitters
- Dog Walkers
- Pet Groomers (brick and mortar and mobile)
- Dog Trainers
- Pooper Scoopers
- Pet Kennels
- Doggy Daycares
- Pet Boarders
- Cat Sitters
- Dog Sitters
- Pet Taxis
The benefit of PCI over some of the other common pet industry insurance companies is their focus on keeping the process very simple and streamlined, with great communication between customer service agents and the insurance clients. The policy is considered very affordable compared to others, and online reviews of current customers all state that filing a claim is easy and fast.
However, PCI is very exclusive to pet industries only, so if pet care is only a portion of your business – don’t expect the other non-pet related aspects to be covered. PCI also takes a hefty $250 – $500 deductible on any veterinary claims (such as a pet getting injured in your care and needing veterinary services) which is the highest I’ve currently seen. This does balance out with the fact that there is no deductible for claims relating to general liability, animal bailee, or pet groomers.
PCI is available in all of the United States.
Pricing & Plans (Updated in 2024)
Pet Insurance Cost Comparison
| Company | Sample Monthly Cost | Learn More |
| Pet Care Insurance | Premiums start at $13.33/month | Get Quote |
| Pet Sitter Associates, LLC | Premiums start at $16.58/month | Get Quote |
| Choice Plus Insurance Services | Premiums start at $35.40/month | Get Quote |
| Mourer-Foster, Inc.
Kennel Pro |
Premiums start at $35.40/month | Get Quote |
| Hiscox | Premiums start at $56.66/month | Get Quote |
| NEXT | Premiums start at $23.75/month | Get Quote |
| Thimble | Premiums start at $30.25/month | Get Quote |
Base Policy
The base policy includes coverage for all of the following, which then expands based on what industry is selected when getting an insurance quote:
- General Liability Coverage
- Products-Completed Operations
- Personal and Advertising Injury
- Damage to Premises Rented to You
- Medical Expense
- Animal Bailee
- Veterinarian Expense Reimbursement (Regardless of Fault)
- Lost Key Liability Coverage
Customizations
The base policy won’t fully protect certain pet-care industries, so purchasing additional customizations will be necessary for a lot of pet professionals. PCI offers the following add-ons:
Higher Animal Bailee Coverage Limits
Increases the yearly limit.
Broadened Property Damage Coverage
Increases the coverage for property that is damaged by pets in your care, whether the property is yours or a client’s. This also covers instances in which general liability would not, such as flooding caused by a broken toilet that happened when the pet sitter used it.
Dog Training Coverage
Covers incidents related to training beyond the basic commands of sit and stay, covers pet corrective behavior training, and on-leash obedience training.
Employee Dishonesty
Protects the business owner from incidents relating to their employees being dishonest, negligent, and fraudulent (such as embezzlement, yikes!).
House Sitting Coverage
Covers overnight care, drop-in visits, and food, water, and medication administration.
Independent Contractors Coverage
Additional coverage for independent contractors and those hired by the business owner.
Pet Daycare
Covers overnight care should that come up, daytime care and exercise for the pet, and food, water, and medication administration.
Pet Groomers Professional
Covers pet grooming, regular teeth cleaning, and other claims that arise exclusively from pet grooming services.
Pet Taxi Coverage
Covers claims relating to the transportation of pets.
Equipment & Inventory Coverage
This covers damaged or stolen equipment, inventory, and supplies.
Online Protection Insurance
A lot of payments are now taken online, this insurance protects the pet-care professional from cyber attacks and hacking liabilities.
Deductibles & Claims
There is no deductible for any claim except veterinarian expense reimbursement, in which there is a deductible of $250 listed on the website, but PCI independent review websites do state the deductible could rise as high as $500 depending on your policy.
Filing a claim is very easy, you just log into your account and fill out the online form. An agent from PCI will reach out within 24-48 hours of submitting your claim.
What Does Pet Care Insurance Cover?
The following is included in every single policy regardless of pet-care industry, with additional coverages able to be purchased. These numbers are subject to change based on your specific needs.
| Coverage Item | Annual Limit |
| General Liability Coverage | $1,000,000 (Each Occurrence)
$2,000,000 (Aggregate Limit) |
| Products-Completed Operations | $2,000,000 |
| Personal and Advertising Injury | $1,000,000 |
| Damage to Premises Rented to You | $100,000 (Any One Premises) |
| Medical Expense | $5,000 (Any One Person) |
| Animal Bailee | $2,500 (Each Occurrence)
$5,000 (Aggregate Limit) |
| Veterinarian Expense Reimbursement | $1,000 (Each Occurrence)
$2,500 (Aggregate Limit) $250 (Deductible) |
| Lost Key Liability | $2,000 (Each Occurrence)
$2,000 (Aggregate Limit) |
- Any animals owned by the insured or breeding
- Housesitting operations (without pets present) that generate more than 45% of your annual revenues
- Landscaping services
- Livestock or farm animals
- Pet services or daycare operations of more than 10 pets at any one time
- Petcare for animals that are not common household pets
- Pet taxi operations of more than 5 pets at any one time
- Practice or participation in any athletic contest, exhibition, activity, game, or sport
- Professional veterinarian services
- Training operations of service, guard, protection, attack, or fighting dogs
Waiting Periods
There is no way for PCI to state exactly how long each claim waiting period will take, but a representative will get in touch within 24-48 hours after a claim has been submitted. By online review, it seems most cases are taken care of within a week!
Reviews from Customers
The customer reviews on the PCI website (via Google reviews) itself all tend to revolve around how easy and simple it is to get a policy, and the incredible rates offered when compared to other insurance companies!
Independent reviews on websites such as Reddit show that PCI is often compared to Pet Sitter Associates, LLC, which is the other common pet-care insurance company. PCI tends to beat out PSA in online discussions on forums because PCI does not have a deductible for its claims (except for veterinary expenses) while PSA surely does. PCI was also noted as being faster to respond!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What Is Animal Bailee?
Animal Bailee is a name given to a type of business insurance that covers the animals in your care, custody, or control that do not belong to you. Should you find yourself legally responsible for injuries, damages, or (absolute nightmare scenario) death sustained by an animal, Animal Bailee will protect you.
Is The Policy Refundable If Canceled?
The policy is not refundable if canceled if the policy has already begun.
What About Insurance For My Personal Pets?
PCI is exclusively for pet-care professionals, not insurance for personal pets. However, PCI is partnered with Trupanion, which is a pet insurance for your furry loved ones.
Our Verdict
In conclusion, Pet Care Insurance definitely sounds like a solid choice for any pet care professional. Not only does PCI have coverage that is exclusive to the pet industry (which means that the claims covered will all revolve around common problems a pet care industry pro might face), but it’s pretty easy to get started and customize for your needs! Even if you run multiple pet-care businesses, a single customized policy can cover them all.
Although the base policy definitely won’t cover most pet industries, it doesn’t actually cost a whole lot more to add all of the additional customizations. The lack of deductible for most claims is absolutely fantastic, and the deductible for vet expenses kind of evens out considering there is no deductible for everything else. All in all, a great option for anyone who works with pets for a living!
Source: Dogster
