Protect your pet sitting business like you protect your furry customers!
Not on comparison sites — save money by coming direct to us
Compare QuotesOur standard cover is:
Pet sitting insurance, sometimes called pet sitters insurance, protects you if something goes wrong while you’re looking after someone else’s pet. It covers the animals in your care, and claims if a pet you’re looking after injures someone or damages their property, or if you accidentally damage a client’s home. Whether you’re a casual pet sitter, a busy dog walker or you run a pet care or dog boarding business, it protects your finances when an accident could otherwise prove costly.
Every Tradesman Saver policy includes public liability insurance, products liability, financial loss, legal expenses and accidental death cover as standard. You can add employers’ liability insurance, short term income protection, personal accident and other covers when you get your quote.
Public liability insurance isn’t a legal requirement for pet sitters or dog walkers, but it’s strongly recommended. Looking after someone else’s pet is a big responsibility. If you’re in a client’s house and you accidentally break something, they could ask you to pay for it. If a dog you’re walking injures someone or damages something, that person could make a claim against you. The right policy means you won’t have to foot the bill yourself.
Many clients will also want to know you’re insured before they hand over a key to their home. If you employ staff, employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement.
Save on your insurance Customers are always telling us how much they saved by switching
Trusted for over 40 years We’ve been providing insurance to businesses since 1984
Financial Strength All insurance policies provided by Standard & Poor’s A rated insurers
Our Tradesman Saver Insurance (Covea) has been independently rated 5 Stars by Defaqto – the highest possible rating, awarded to excellent products with a comprehensive range of features and benefits.
Complete our simple quote form with basic details about your business.
Compare quotes from our panel of insurers & chose any optional covers you may need.
Choose the quote that’s right for you, activate your policy and view your certificates online.
Public liability is the foundation of any pet sitting insurance policy. It covers injury to third parties and damage to their property, so it protects you from claims made by your clients or members of the public. That could include:
Public liability treats animals as property, so it covers injury to someone else’s animal, such as another dog in the park, but not injury to your own animals. The pets you look after for clients are covered separately, by the cover for animals in your care.
If a claim is made against you and you’re found responsible, your policy covers the legal costs and any compensation you have to pay.
Dog walking insurance is the same Tradesman Saver policy, built around the risks of walking other people’s dogs. If a dog in your care slips its lead and bites a member of the public, or runs into the road and causes an accident, the claim can cost far more than a year’s premium. Your public liability cover pays the legal costs and compensation, so you’re not left to pay them yourself.
If your business grows and you employ other dog walkers, you’ll need employers’ liability insurance by law. It covers you if one of your walkers is injured or falls ill because of their work. We also cover dog sitting, dog caring and doggy day care businesses: choose the trade that best describes what you do on our online quote form.
Pet sitting insurance with Tradesman Saver costs less than £55 a year. The price of your cover depends on:
As a guide, a self-employed dog walker, sitter and carer based in London, with no employees, five years’ experience and no claims, was quoted £54.88 a year with £1 million public liability. A dog walking business in Manchester, run as a limited company with three employees and £5 million public liability, was quoted £428.96 a year. The table below shows both quotes in full.
Legal expenses, financial loss and accidental death cover are included in the price as standard.
Compare Quotes
£54.88 / year A self employed dog walker, sitter and carer.
£38.19 / month £428.96 / year A dog walking business based in Manchester
The above quote examples were taken from our online system on 06/11/25 and include insurance premium tax but exclude our £10 admin charge. These are real quotes but your own personal quote will vary dependent upon your circumstances and the level of cover you require.
Most insurance policies are subject to an excess, which is the amount you agree to pay towards a claim. Check out the standard excesses under a Tradesman Saver pet sitters insurance policy in the table and be sure to also look at your own quotation to see exactly what applies to your policy. This is because your excess may vary depending on the type of work you do.
| Insurance cover | Excess |
|---|---|
| Public Liability | £250 |
| Products Liability | £250 |
| Employers Liability | No Excess |
| Financial Loss | 10% of claim value(£2,500 minimum) |
| Professional Indemnity | £250 |
| Contract Works | £250(£500 Theft/Malicious Damage) |
| Tools / Equipment | £100(£250 Unattended vehicle) |
| Legal Expenses | No Excess |
* Total number of live policies as of 31/10/2025
Public liability is the most important part of a pet sitting or dog walking policy, and it’s included as standard along with products liability, financial loss, legal expenses and accidental death cover. Your policy also includes cover for the animals in your care. You can add optional covers such as equipment cover, employers’ liability and short term income protection, which pays you an income if an illness or injury leaves you unable to work.
Most pet sitting insurance policies last for 12 months and can be renewed each year. Public liability cover responds to incidents that happen while your policy is in force, so keep your cover running without gaps.
You’ll just need basic information, such as your name, address and the kind of pet sitting or dog walking jobs you take on. We’ll also ask whether you have employees and whether you’ve made any claims.
Contact us as soon as possible to tell us what’s happened, using our online claims form. Before you do, check the dates covered by your policy and that you’re covered for what you’re claiming. Once the insurer has all the information it needs, it will assess the claim and settle it if it’s valid.
As a dog walker, you’ll need public liability insurance to cover injuries to other people or animals, accidental damage to property and the legal fees that can follow, along with cover for the dogs in your care. You may also want professional indemnity insurance, which covers you if a client sues you for negligence or a mistake in your work.
Yes. You can register as a sole trader to start a dog walking business, or set it up as a company or partnership. It depends on the type of business you want to run and how many people you plan to employ.
In an emergency, make sure everyone is safe first and take any action needed. Then contact us as soon as possible and follow the advice you’re given. You may also need to report the incident to the police or the local council, so keep any records or documents related to it.
Yes. You can pay annually, or spread the cost of your cover in monthly instalments to help with cashflow. Paying monthly can cost more overall: the Manchester dog walking business in our example would pay £38.19 a month, against £428.96 for the year up front.
Tradesman Saver offers pet sitting and dog walking insurance for less than £55 a year, with five covers as standard: public liability, products liability, legal expenses, financial loss and accidental death. Your cover starts from the date you choose, and you can manage everything online. Please check the policy wording and IPID for full details, including limits and exclusions.
Get your quote in minutes.
From only£55per year 
From only£55per year 
From only£55per year 
