A new dog walking app that has been hailed as the ‘Uber for dogs’ offers built-in insurance for its furry charges.
Vancouver-based startup Go Fetch’s app connects dog owners with prospective walkers in their neighbourhoods, ensuring Fido gets his daily constitutional even when pet parents aren’t home.
“It’s a user-friendly map interface where they can see walkers in their direct vicinity and then engage in a conversation with them, meet them, and ultimately set up a walk with them,” says Paul Ratchford, co-founder of GoFetch.
However, entrusting your furry family member to a stranger comes with plenty of potential liability, a need GoFetch has addressed with coverage through Atrium Underwriters, who provide third-party liability, errors and omissions, as well as an endorsement for emergency vet trips.
“Certainly the moment you start thinking about a transaction with the dog walker and dog owner, the issue that comes up immediately is access – how are people potentially entering the homes to walk the dog, and then having some insurance around that to protect the homeowner,” Ratchford says. “That was obviously a priority for us, and is something we had to speak with our insurers about, and that is why the insurance product we have is not something that you can get at a local retail insurer.”
Ratchford says the co-founders met extensively with an experienced broker to hash out the app’s insurance needs, who then came back with a number of policy recommendations. “Lost or stolen dogs obviously would be at the top of the list,” he says. “That was a topic we discussed with our underwriter, and it’s an area of concern for the homeowner, so I think those would be standard and top of mind.”
GoFetch also excludes breeds – including pit bulls – that are considered especially dangerous from its service.
Ratchford says that the inclusion of insurance is a big comfort to customers.
“Peace of mind, trust and safety are number one on the consumer’s mind and it’s important for them to feel there are some coverages in place, and the company has spent time thinking about these issues. It’s their dog – and I’m a dog owner myself – it’s important for any dog parent.”
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