In short: Every Canadian insurer we checked builds pet-sitting cover around liability: commercial general liability for injury to other people and damage to their property, often with professional liability and cover for pets in your care added on. Bonding protects clients against theft by employees. One insurer quotes about CAD 100 a year for a basic pet-sitting policy with CAD 1 million each of general and professional liability. If you walk four to six dogs in a Toronto park, the city's permit requires CAD 2 million of general liability.
Insurance is the part of pet sitting nobody explains well. Search for it and you find insurers' sales pages, each describing its own product with its own names for things. This guide puts the common coverages side by side, in the words the insurers use, so you can compare quotes with the right questions.
Sources: PROfur by Acera, Zensurance, TD Insurance, Verge Insurance Canadian Pet Pro, and Jones DesLauriers, the exclusive broker for Canadian members of Pet Sitters International. All retrieved October 14, 2026.
Do you need insurance to be a pet sitter in Canada?
There is no single Canadian rule that requires it. Where insurance becomes mandatory, it is usually through a city permit. The clearest example is Toronto: a commercial dog walker permit, needed to walk more than three dogs in a city park, requires evidence of CAD 2,000,000 in commercial general liability insurance that names the City as an additional insured for the whole permit term. Our guide to dog walker permits in Canada covers Toronto, Calgary, Mississauga, Montreal, Edmonton and Hamilton. Outside those rules, insurance is a business decision. The question to ask is what one bad day would cost you: a dog that knocks over a cyclist, a cat that is hurt in your care, a lost house key that means changing a client's locks.The coverages, in plain terms
Insurers group these differently, but the same building blocks come up again and again. The descriptions below are quoted or closely paraphrased from each insurer's own page.| Coverage | What it is for | Who lists it |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial general liability (CGL) | "Accidental injury to others, including pets, or accidental property damage" (PROfur). Zensurance's example is a dog that charges at a child in a park. | PROfur, Zensurance, TD Insurance |
| Professional liability (errors and omissions) | Claims that your service or advice caused a loss. TD's example: a sitter who cannot make an appointment with a client's elderly cat. | PROfur, Zensurance, TD Insurance |
| Pets in your care | Costs when a client's pet is injured, lost or dies while you are looking after it. PROfur lists this as "Accidental Injury, Loss or Death of Pets" and adds pets in transit and runaway recovery. | PROfur, Verge Canadian Pet Pro |
| Bonding (fidelity) | Theft of a client's belongings by your employees. | PROfur, Verge Canadian Pet Pro, the Pet Sitters International program |
| Damage to a client's home | Claims that your negligence damaged a client's home or contents. | PROfur |
| Lost keys | Replacing or re-keying locks if you lose a client's keys. | PROfur |
| Commercial auto | The vehicle you drive to provide pet services. | TD Insurance |
How much pet sitting insurance costs
Few insurers publish a price, because premiums depend on your business. Zensurance is the exception: it says someone offering basic pet-sitting services "can anticipate spending $100 a year on insurance" for CAD 1 million in general liability and CAD 1 million in professional liability. It lists what moves the price: the services you offer, years of experience, the dog breeds you work with, how many employees you have, and your current and projected revenue. PROfur, Verge and the Pet Sitters International program do not publish prices and quote individually. Verge says its Canadian Pet Pro plan covers the member, a spouse and up to five employees at no extra cost, and Jones DesLauriers points to group rates for PSI members. Get at least two quotes for the same limits before you decide.What the Petme Protection Plan does and does not cover
Sitters on Petme sometimes ask whether they still need their own insurance. The two do different jobs. The Petme Protection Plan is a discretionary fund, not an insurance policy, that may contribute toward eligible veterinary costs for serious injuries to a pet caused by a sitter's actions during a confirmed Petme booking, up to CAD 32,000. Its own terms exclude third-party injuries and property damage, and it covers nothing outside a confirmed booking. So the Protection Plan is about the pet's vet bill. It does not cover the cyclist your client's dog knocked over, the rug that was ruined, the keys you lost, or clients you sit for away from the platform. Those are what general liability, professional liability and lost-key cover are for. Read the Protection Plan details before you decide what extra cover you need.Questions to ask before you buy
- Does the policy cover dog walking, overnight sitting in the client's home, and boarding in my home, or only some of them?
- Are animals in my care covered, and is there a per-animal limit?
- How many dogs at once does the policy allow, and does it match any city permit I hold?
- Can I add a city or a client as an additional insured, as Toronto's permit requires?
- Does it cover me if I drive pets in my own car, or do I need commercial auto?
- Are lost keys and damage to a client's home included, or extra?
- If I hire a helper, are they covered, and do I need bonding?
Frequently asked questions
Do I need insurance to be a pet sitter in Canada?
No single Canadian law requires it, but some city permits do. Toronto's commercial dog walker permit, needed to walk more than three dogs in a city park, requires CAD 2,000,000 of commercial general liability insurance naming the City as an additional insured. Elsewhere it is a business decision.
How much is pet sitting insurance in Canada?
Zensurance says a basic pet-sitting business can expect to spend about CAD 100 a year for CAD 1 million in general liability and CAD 1 million in professional liability. Premiums rise with the services you offer, the breeds you handle, staff numbers and revenue, so get quotes for the same limits.
What does bonded and insured mean for a pet sitter?
Insured usually means the sitter carries liability insurance for injury and property damage. Bonded means a fidelity bond that protects clients if the business's employees steal from their home. PROfur and Verge's Canadian Pet Pro plan both list bonding alongside liability cover for pet sitters.
Do I need dog walking insurance in Ontario?
Ontario has no province-wide rule. Cities set their own: in Toronto, walking four to six dogs in a park needs a commercial dog walker permit, and the permit requires CAD 2,000,000 of general liability insurance. Check the by-law of each city you walk in before you take on groups.
Does the Petme Protection Plan replace sitter insurance?
No. The Protection Plan is a discretionary fund that may contribute toward eligible vet costs for serious injuries to a pet caused by a sitter's actions during a confirmed Petme booking. Its terms exclude third-party injuries and property damage, which is what a sitter's own liability insurance covers.
