Insurance built for businesses that work with animals

General liability insurance covers third-party claims of bodily injury and property damage arising from your business operations. For a pet business, this matters in two directions: a client slipping on a wet floor in your shop, and a dog in your care biting a visitor. High foot traffic, leashes underfoot, and animals that behave unpredictably make liability claims a routine risk rather than a remote one. General liability also pays to defend covered lawsuits, including ones that turn out to be groundless, which is where defense costs can quietly drain a small business.

Animal bailee insurance covers you when a pet in your care, custody, or control is injured, dies, or goes missing for reasons outside your direct negligence, such as a fire, a flood, an escape, or an attack by another animal. If you board, groom, train, or transport animals, this is the coverage that addresses what happens to the animal itself, not just to the people around it. Standard property or liability policies do not cover animals you do not own, so animal bailee fills a gap that catches many pet businesses off-guard after a loss.

Professional liability insurance, sometimes called errors and omissions coverage, protects you when a client claims your service caused harm. A groomer who nicks a dog with scissors, a trainer whose method results in an injury, or a grooming technician who accidentally shaves the wrong animal can all face professional liability claims. This coverage pays defense costs and, if you are found liable, damages awarded, up to your policy limit. It is distinct from general liability, which covers accidents in your space rather than errors in your professional service.

Commercial property insurance covers the physical assets your business owns or leases: the building (if you own it), grooming tables, cages, dryers, retail inventory, computers, and furniture. If a fire, burst pipe, or vandalism event puts those assets out of service, property coverage pays to repair or replace them. Business income coverage (also called business interruption) pairs with it by replacing the revenue you lose while you cannot operate. For a kennel that has to turn away boarding clients during repairs, that income gap can be significant.

If your business sells pet food, treats, toys, collars, or accessories, you can be named in a lawsuit if one of those products harms or kills an animal, even if you did not manufacture it. Product liability coverage addresses the cost of defending those claims and paying any damages for which you are found responsible. This applies to retail pet stores and to groomers who sell shampoos, conditioners, or aftercare products from their shop.