Dog walker insurance

When you are responsible for someone else’s pet, you are also responsible for their safety. Even the most experienced dog walkers can face unexpected situations such as dogs escaping, fighting, or becoming injured during exercise.

Specialist dog walking insurance can help cover eligible vet bills, emergency treatment, or compensation if a client’s dog is injured, lost, or killed while in your care. In the UK, pet-related insurance claims can run into thousands of pounds, particularly if emergency surgery or extended treatment is required, making this cover an important financial safeguard.

Public liability insurance is one of the most important protections for dog walkers because accidents involving third parties are relatively common.

A dog could knock over a pedestrian, bite someone, or cause a road accident by running into traffic. It can also cover damage to property, such as gardens, vehicles, or public spaces.

Industry insurers frequently report that liability claims are among the most common types of claims in pet care services, with costs ranging from minor compensation payments to legal settlements that can exceed £10,000 depending on severity.

If you employ staff in your dog walking business, UK law requires you to have employers' liability insurance. This protects you if an employee becomes ill or injured while working for you, such as being bitten by a dog or slipping during a walk.

The law requires a minimum cover level of £5 million, and failure to have this insurance in place can result in fines of up to £2,500 for every day you're not insured^{^}. Even if you only employ part-time or casual walkers, this requirement still applies, making it a legal necessity rather than an optional extra.

Dog walkers often rely on expensive equipment such as smartphones for tracking routes, GPS devices, leads, harnesses, and sometimes even tablets for managing bookings. Business contents insurance can help repair or replace these items if they are lost, stolen, or accidentally damaged while working.

With the average smartphone now costing over £800 and professional GPS tracking devices adding further expense, replacing essential tools out of pocket can quickly become costly and disruptive to your business operations.

Legal disputes can arise in a variety of situations, from a client alleging negligence to disagreements over responsibility for an incident. Liability insurance can help cover legal defence costs, which in the UK can easily run into thousands of pounds even for straightforward cases.

It may also cover compensation payments if you are found liable. Without insurance, these costs would need to be paid personally, which could be financially damaging for small or self-employed dog walking businesses.

Many clients, particularly private homeowners, dog boarding facilities, local councils, and landowners, now require proof of public liability insurance before allowing dog walkers to operate on their property or care for their pets. This is especially common in urban parks, managed estates, and commercial dog-walking areas.

Having insurance not only helps you secure more work but also builds trust with clients, as it demonstrates professionalism and accountability in a growing and competitive industry.

Possibly, but only if your policy includes suitable cover for dogs in your care - standard public liability insurance may have a care, custody and control exclusion. This means it may not cover a client’s dog if it is lost, injured or killed while you are responsible for it.

Look for specialist cover that includes dogs in your care, and be sure to check your policy’s vet-fee limits, excesses, conditions and exclusions before buying, as no policy will cover every incident.

Yes, if you use your car for work journeys, you should tell your insurer and arrange suitable business-use cover. This could include:

• Travelling between clients

• Collecting and returning dogs

• Driving to different walking locations

• Carrying equipment for your business

Normal commuting cover may not be enough. You should also check that your insurer allows you to transport clients’ dogs and whether crates, leads or other equipment need separate cover.

Possibly - you should check each platform’s terms and conditions rather than assuming its protection replaces your own dog walker insurance. Find out:

• Who is covered

• Which services and bookings are included

• When the protection begins and ends

• What excesses and cover limits apply

• Whether dogs in your care are covered

• Which incidents and costs are excluded

You may need your own policy if the platform’s protection does not cover every service you provide or the full time a dog is in your care.

Check that your chosen policy suits how your dog-walking business operates, rather than choosing on price alone. You should look at whether care, custody and control cover is included, as well as how many dogs you are allowed to walk at once.

It is also important to check the public liability cover limit and whether the policy includes cover for employees or subcontractors. You should consider whether lost-dog and emergency vet-fee cover is included, along with any requirements for business vehicles and equipment.

Make sure you understand the excess you would need to pay towards a claim, and check for any exclusions relating to dog breeds, off-lead walking or home boarding. Finally, compare the policy documents carefully, as insurers may offer different limits, conditions and exclusions.

You must keep every dog in your care under control and follow the rules applying to the place where you walk it - it's against the law for a dog to be dangerously out of control. A dog may be considered dangerously out of control if it injures someone or makes them reasonably fear that they could be injured.

This applies to all dogs and in both public and private places. Depending on what happens, penalties can include an unlimited fine, imprisonment, restrictions on owning dogs and the dog being destroyed.

There is no single national licence for ordinary dog walking, but some councils and landowners require professional walkers to have a licence or permit to use particular parks and open spaces. For example, professional dog walkers must be licensed to operate in Lambeth and Wandsworth council parks.

Separate animal activity licensing rules may apply if you provide dog day care at business premises or look after dogs in your own home. Ordinary dog walking and caring for dogs in their owner’s home are not covered by England’s dog day-care licensing rules.

No, you do not normally need a Disclosure and Barring Service check to work as a dog walker - however, some clients may prefer to hire someone who has completed a basic check.

A basic DBS check shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions. It currently costs £21.50 and takes an average of three days to process, although some applications take longer.

Public Spaces Protection Orders set rules for particular public areas in England and Wales. Depending on the order, you may have to:

• Keep dogs on leads

• Put a dog on a lead when instructed

• Keep dogs out of certain areas

• Limit how many dogs you walk

• Clean up after dogs

• Carry waste bags

Check for signs and your local council’s website, as the rules vary between areas. Breaking an order can lead to a £100 fixed penalty notice or a court fine of up to £1,000.

Not automatically - rules for banned types of dog differ across the UK, so check any specific requirements for where you work. In England and Wales, a banned-type dog can only be legally kept in limited circumstances, such as when it has a valid Certificate of Exemption.

An exempt dog must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public - for an XL Bully, the lead must be securely held by someone aged 16 or over.

Before accepting the dog, ask the owner to confirm that all legal requirements have been met - you should also check whether your insurance or local walking licence has breed-related conditions.

There is no single UK-wide limit on how many dogs a professional dog walker can walk at once. Your insurance may set a maximum, while councils, landowners and Public Spaces Protection Orders can impose separate local limits.

For example, Wandsworth generally limits walkers to four dogs but allows licensed walkers to walk up to six. Check your policy and the rules for every area you use before accepting multiple dogs.

Yes, you can work as a self-employed dog walker, join an existing company or set up a limited company.

If your gross self-employed income is more than £1,000 in a tax year, you will usually need to register as a sole trader for Self Assessment. You should also keep records of your income and business expenses from the date you start trading.