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Operating a kennel and dog boarding facility, just like operating a cattery, is a satisfying income-generating venture. Nonetheless, accommodating pets for a night or an extended period has risks.
A dog can fall sick under your care or escape its kennel and bite one of your staff members. It’s even possible for a dog groomer you hired to injure or steal one of the pets. All these incidents can lead to costly lawsuits.
Therefore, it would be best to have insurance for dog boarding business to protect yourself and your business. Dog boarding and kennel insurance can offer you peace of mind.
Any individual or entity operating a dog boarding business-whether a small home-based operation or a large commercial boarding facility-needs insurance to protect their businesses, employees, assets, and long-term viability.
In fact, local authorities require kennel owners to have dog boarding insurance before being licensed. Obtaining dog boarding business insurance has several benefits. With this policy you can protect dog boarding businesses against various risks, including:
Any business requires a form of insurance coverage before it can be allowed to provide its services. Liability insurance is the basic coverage a service provider can have.
Kennel and dog boarding liability insurance protects your business from financial losses due to lawsuits that third parties file.
Liability insurance for dog boarding & kennels can be classified as a general liability policy, professional liability policy, and public liability policy. Let’s take a look at the functions of each.
This insurance for dog boarding business and kennels protects you if your clients suffer injuries from accidents while at your facility. It may be a slip, trip, fall, or dog bite.
In such a case, your general liability insurance will cover the medical costs, legal fees, and any compensation awarded to the claimant by the court.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | Hiscox | Pet Care | |
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $500,000/$1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Products and completed operations aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Hired/non-owned auto liability coverage included? | Yes | No | Excluded | Can be included | No |
| Equipment breakdown floater included? | No | Yes | Yes | Can be included | Yes |
| Can you get a certificate of insurance online? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Your negligence and failure to perform the duties that any other experienced kennel and dog boarding facility will do is a ground for a lawsuit.
Professional liability insurance, which you can also find in business insurance for dog daycare programs, takes care of this exposure.
This dog daycare business insurance covers the legal expenses and the amount you must pay to reimburse the client’s losses due to your negligence or failure to perform.
| CoverWallet | NEXT | Thimble (Best) | Hiscox | |
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| License defense coverage included? | No | No | No | No |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 |
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This coverage protects your business from any claims filed by members of the public. This dog kennel insurance policy covers the expenses of legal defense and any damages awarded if they suffer an injury or their property gets damaged during their visit to your facility.
Some circumstances in which public liability insurance for dog home boarding comes in handy include when:
This type of dog home boarding insurance has a $1 million-$2 million per occurrence and aggregate limit. Limits can be customized so that you can enjoy lower or higher amounts of coverage.
Purchasing a business owner’s policy (BOP) offers significant money-saving opportunities.
A BOP combines general liability and commercial property insurance into one policy. It provides comprehensive coverage to small and mid-sized pet boarding facilities at a lower cost than buying each policy separately.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Hiscox | Thimble | |
| General liability aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $500,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 |
| Commercial property coverage limit | $50,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000/$500,000 |
| Optional policies can be added? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds for free? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BOP discount? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tools and equipment insurance will cover the repair or replacement of toys, crates, cages, computers, and other equipment that’s essential for the smooth operations of your kennel and dog boarding facility.
Coverage applies when damage or loss is caused by theft, vandalism, fire, electrical surge, electrical shorts, and mechanical breakdown. Natural wear and tear as well as animal damage are excluded.
| NEXT (Best) | Thimble | Pet Care | Hiscox | |
| Aggregate limit | $3,000/$10,000 | $2,500/$5,000 | $50,000 | $15,000/$25,000 |
| Covers hired and borrowed equipment? | $3,000/$10,000 | $2,500/$5,000 | $50,000 | No |
| Miscellaneous equipment also covered? | $5,000/$10,000 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Offered as an endorsement to general liability insurance? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $0 | $0 |
Bite wounds are common when dealing with dogs. Workers’ compensation insurance allows you to provide the benefits an employee needs after sustaining a work-related injury or disease.
This acts as a backup to health insurance and will also cover the cost of medical treatment, hospitalization, medication, and rehabilitation.
The average dog kennel insurance cost is $33 per month or $396 per year for a $1 million general liability insurance.
The price dog kennels pay for their business insurance varies, depending on several factors. Some factors that impact your dog kennel insurance cost include:
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Deductible | |
| General liability insurance | $33 | $396 | $0-$500 |
| Professional liability insurance | $40 | $480 | $500-$1,000 |
| Commercial property insurance | $38 | $456 | $1,000-$2,000 |
| Business owner’s policy | $60 | $720 | $1,500 |
| Animal bailee insurance | $90 | $1,080 | $500 |
| Commercial auto insurance | $50 | $600 | $500-$1,000 |
| Workers compensation insurance | $70 | $840 | $2,500 |
| Cyber liability insurance | $42 | $504 | $1,000 |
The average dog boarding insurance cost is $37 per month or $468 per year for a $1 million general liability policy. Just like the premiums for dog kennels, factors that affect the premiums for dog boarding insurance are location, policy limits, deductibles, location, number of employees, etc.
Dog care or dog daycare facilities offer pet owners a place where they can leave their pets during those long days at work or when running errands. They bring them to daycare in the morning and pick them up later in the day.
Pet daycare centers may also offer dog grooming, dog walking, and dog sitting services. The average dog daycare insurance cost is $45 per month or $540 per year for a $1 million general liability insurance.
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NEXT covers kennels and dog boarding facilities through its pet boarding insurance program. You can purchase your insurance package online without the help of an agent. Policies you can avail are general liability, commercial property, workers compensation, and more.
Average cost: $25 per month
Our rating: 10/10
CoverWallet insures dog boarding facilities and kennels through its pet care services insurance program. Similar to NEXT, this company allows you to purchase your coverage online without talking to an agent.
Average cost: $27 per month
Tivly® can hook you up with its partners that grant comprehensive coverage to kennels and dog boarding facilities. To get covered, you need to call a Tivly® representative to allow you to compare quotes over the phone.
Average cost: $28 per month
Though you can avail only three policies, comprehensive coverage is still ensured because Thimble offers numerous endorsements.
Average cost: $34 per month
Hiscox covers kennels and dog boarding businesses through its dog daycare, motel, and hotel insurance program. What you can avail from this are business owner’s policies and cyber liability policies.
You can talk with a Hiscox agent to get other insurance products. Remember that your coverage from Hiscox renews automatically.
Average cost: $30 per month
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