David Pearsall answers insurance question for member - October 07 E-news

“I would like information and suggestions on how to protect the pet sitter – who already has pet-sitting insurance. For example, if I take a client’s dog to the dog park, do I need to have the client sign a special protective clause and keep it filed with his information sheet to protect myself? Would I need the same thing for taking a dog to the vet or groomer? Could I write this up, or would I need a lawyer to do this?”

Sharon Brickel, Super Pet Nannies, Redondo Beach,CA

 

David Pearsall, director of sales and marketing at BIC, replied,

"To answer the question from an insurance perspective, she would be covered under our policy regardless of any agreements in place. Our policy covers pets in the sitter’s care, custody and control at dog parks, in vehicles, etc. As long as the pet is considered to be in the care of the sitter, there would be coverage under the PSI liability policy. If the sitter wanted to go an extra step and not take responsibility for the pet if they take them to at a dog park, then they could add a hold-harmless agreement to their contract that says something to the effect: 'client agrees to hold pet sitter harmless for any and all damage to the pet while in a dog park.'I would recommend having an attorney draft the hold-harmless agreement to be 100 percent certain that it will hold up.”

 

If you have further questions about pet-sitting insurance, please visit: http://www.petsitterinsurance.com/psi/default.asp