Article 6:181 DCC · group transport · animals in your care
Liability insurance for a dog walking service
As soon as you take other people's dogs out in the course of a business, liability in law for what those dogs do shifts from the owner to you. That is the starting point of every policy in this sector.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering voor een hondenuitlaatservice.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
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- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
The key lies in two articles. Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Code places liability for damage caused by an animal with the keeper, regardless of fault. Article 6:181 of the Dutch Civil Code moves that liability to whoever uses the animal in the course of his business. So as long as the dogs are with you, you are the one who is liable if someone is bitten, if a dog causes a cyclist to fall or if a dog that breaks free causes a collision. A public and employers' liability insurance that names this risk expressly is not a luxury for this work but the heart of it.
Just as important is what falls not it. The dogs you walk are property in your care. If a dog is injured, runs off or dies during the round, that falls under the care, custody and control exclusion and the liability policy does not pay the vet's fees or the value. That is exactly the claim clients bring most often. Ask expressly, therefore, about care, custody and control cover for animals in your charge; some insurers offer it as a separate section, others exclude animals entirely.
Two other items belong elsewhere. Damage you cause with your van on the way to the exercise area falls under the compulsory insurance requirement of Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM). And fines for not keeping dogs on the lead, for exceeding a local maximum number of dogs or for not clearing up faeces are sanctions, not compensation; they are excluded on every liability policy.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare public and employers' liability insurance (AVB).
What to look out for
Four subjects that determine whether a walking service is actually covered when a loss occurs.
The number of dogs per round
Insurers almost always accept this work under a clause with a maximum number of dogs per handler. If you walk more than you declared, that is a change of risk on which the insurer can rely through Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code. Local authorities also apply their own licences and maximum numbers. Those two figures have to match.
Transporting the group
A van with crates is both a motor vehicle and a place where animals are kept. Injury or damage in traffic runs through the WAMcover of the van. If a dog in a crate is injured through heat, an unsound partition or an open door, that is damage to an animal in your care and therefore a claim the liability policy does not pick up.
Keys and entering homes
You collect dogs from houses where no one is at home. If you damage something there, that is property damage to a third party and covered in principle. The loss of a key or the cost of a new master key system is not: that is pure financial loss. Arrange a separate keys clause if you serve dozens of addresses.
Staff and walkers hired in
Staff handling dogs run the risk of bites and of injury from a dog pulling on the lead. That falls under your duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code, including for work placement students and hired-in workers under subsection 4. Record which dogs count as difficult and what instruction was given.
What does your premium depend on?
- Number of dogs per round: the main basis of acceptance in this sector
- Number of supervisors: payroll and your own staff determine the employers' section
- Group transport or not: a van with crates changes the risk profile
- Off-lead areas or on the lead: dogs off the lead in public areas weigh more heavily
- Additional services: boarding, overnight stays or training call for extra sections
- Sum insured and excess: per claim and per insurance year
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | AVB | Care, custody and control cover for animals |
|---|---|---|
| A dog from your group bites a passing jogger on the leg | Yes | No |
| A dog that breaks free runs into the road and a driver swerves into a lamp post | Yes | No |
| Two dogs from your group fight and one needs stitches | No | Yes |
| A dog escapes during the walk and is not found again | No | Provided that |
| A dog pulls on the lead so hard that you fall off your bicycle against a parked car | Yes | No |
| A client demands the subscription back because you did not run any rounds for a week | No | No |
Damage to third parties is the territory of the liability policy; damage to the dogs themselves calls for a separate section.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
A dog from my group bites a passer-by. Who is liable?
You are. Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Code imposes strict liability for damage caused by animals and Article 6:181 DCC places it with whoever uses the animal in the course of a business. So as long as the dog is with you, the victim can turn to your business and not to the owner. That passer-by's injury claim is covered under public and employers' liability insurance.
A dog is injured while being walked. Does the policy pay the vet?
Not as standard. At that moment the dog is property in your care and therefore falls under the care, custody and control exclusion. Only with care, custody and control cover for animals expressly included are vet's fees eligible. Set out in your customer terms what you do and do not pay for, so that this is clear in advance.
A dog runs off and causes a collision. What then?
The damage to the car involved and any injury to its occupants is damage caused by an animal you had in your care in the course of a business, and therefore falls within the scope of your liability insurance. The insurer will check whether you kept to the rules on leads and to the agreed group size; departing from them knowingly can affect cover.
Is my personal liability insurance not enough?
No. Personal liability insurance excludes damage connected with a profession or business. As soon as you walk other people's dogs for payment, that is a business activity and without a business policy you are uninsured. Also state exactly what you do, because an incorrect or incomplete declaration can have consequences for payment under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code.
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