Quick Answer
A business owner’s policy — a BOP — bundles general liability and commercial property insurance into one policy, usually at a lower price than buying those coverages separately. Most carriers writing pet businesses also fold in business income coverage, and several add pet-specific protection on top of it.
For a groomer, daycare, boarding kennel or pet store with a location, equipment and customers walking through the door, a BOP is almost always the right foundation. For a solo dog walker or sitter with no premises and no property to insure, it often is not — a standalone general liability policy may fit better.
The important part is what a BOP does not do. It does not cover your employees, your vehicles, your professional judgment, or — and this is the one that matters most in this industry — the animals in your care.
What a BOP Actually Bundles
A BOP is a package policy. Instead of buying two or three policies and hoping they line up, you buy one that is already assembled.
Carriers do not describe the bundle identically, and the difference is worth knowing before you compare quotes.
Travelers and The Hartford both describe their BOP as general liability, commercial property and business income together. Hiscox, Liberty Mutual and Progressive describe a BOP as general liability plus commercial property, with business income either built into the property section or added on. Progressive lists loss of income among what its property coverage can pay for; Liberty Mutual lists business income as something you supplement the policy with.
So “business income is included” is true at some carriers and conditional at others. Ask where it sits on the quote in front of you rather than assuming the bundle is standard. It is not.
What Pet Carriers Add on Top
Some carriers build a pet version of the BOP rather than selling you the generic one.
Travelers includes boarding kennel liability and pet grooming liability automatically in its pet care business owner’s policy, and sells an animal floater, veterinary professional liability, employee theft and mobile-vehicle business income as optional add-ons. The Hartford lists animal bailee, professional liability, workers’ compensation, cyber and employment practices liability as coverages that sit alongside a pet business BOP rather than inside it. Liberty Mutual’s groomer page treats the BOP as general liability and property combined.
That variation is the whole reason two BOPs at the same price are not the same policy. One may include kennel liability in the base form. The other may not mention animals anywhere.
Is a BOP Right for Your Pet Business? A Checklist
Carriers publish broadly similar eligibility guidelines for BOPs. Published criteria typically include operating from a commercial location rather than the owner’s home, fewer than 100 employees, annual revenue under roughly $1 million, a relatively small commercial space, and an industry the carrier considers low to moderate hazard. Those thresholds vary by carrier and are guidelines rather than hard rules — your agent will know where each market draws the line.
A BOP is probably right for you if:
- You operate from a salon, daycare, kennel, store or other commercial space you own or rent.
- You have meaningful property to insure — tubs, dryers, clippers, kennel runs, tenant improvements, retail inventory.
- Clients or their pets come to you, so third parties are on your premises.
- A closure would cost you real revenue and you still owe rent and payroll while you are shut.
- Your landlord or a facility contract requires general liability limits.
A BOP may not be the right starting point if:
- You work entirely at clients’ homes or outdoors — many walkers and sitters own almost nothing to cover on the property side.
- You run the business out of your home, which most published BOP guidelines exclude.
- Your business sits outside the carrier’s appetite because of breed policy, off-leash play, transport or overnight care.
- Your revenue, headcount or square footage has grown past the package thresholds — at that point you move to a commercial package policy instead.
None of these are disqualifying on their own. They change which structure is cheaper and cleaner, not whether you need coverage.
BOP vs. Buying the Coverages Separately
The bundle usually wins on price. Carriers price a BOP as a package and the combined premium generally comes in below the sum of the same coverages bought individually, which is the main reason the product exists. Published figures give a rough sense of scale: national small business pricing data puts the average BOP at $83 a month, with annual premiums ranging from about $400 to over $6,000. The Hartford reports an average of $1,687 a year, and $1,193 a year for pet groomers specifically. Progressive reports a 2025 national median of $80 a month for new customers. Treat all of those as range-finders — different books of business, different methods, and none of them a quote.
Buying separately makes sense when the package form cannot stretch far enough — multiple locations, revenue past the guidelines, a hazard class the BOP market will not take, or limits you need higher than the package allows.
What a BOP Leaves Out — and Why It Matters Here
Carriers are consistent on the exclusions, and every one of them is relevant to a pet business.
Employee injuries. Workers’ compensation is not part of a BOP and is required in most states once you have employees. In an industry where bites, scratches, lifting injuries and wet floors are routine, this is not optional.
Vehicles. Commercial auto is separate. A grooming van, a pet taxi run or daycare pickup and drop-off is a business use, and personal auto policies exclude it.
Professional services. Claims arising from your professional judgment or a service performed badly need professional liability. Some pet BOPs add grooming liability specifically; most do not include it by default.
Cyber and data breach. Not included. If you store client payment details or run online booking, this is a real exposure.
Property of others in your care. This is the big one. Hiscox lists damage to third-party property in your custody among what a BOP does not cover, and general liability forms generally exclude property in the insured’s care, custody or control. Insurance policies treat animals as property.
That exclusion means the single most likely serious claim in a pet business — a dog injured, made ill, escaped or killed while in your care — is not what the liability half of a BOP is built to pay. Animal bailee coverage, sold in some markets as care, custody and control, is what responds. Travelers includes boarding kennel liability in its pet care BOP and sells an animal floater on top; The Hartford lists animal bailee as an additional coverage. A generic BOP written without pet-specific endorsements may include none of it.
If you take one thing from this article: a BOP is the right foundation, and the foundation is not the whole building.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a BOP cover?
A business owner’s policy bundles general liability and commercial property insurance, and at most carriers writing pet businesses, business income coverage as well. It pays for third-party injury and property damage claims, damage to your own building, equipment and inventory from covered causes, and lost income after a covered property loss.
Do I need a BOP for my pet business?
If you operate from a commercial location with equipment and clients on site, a BOP is usually the most cost-effective way to buy your core coverage. If you work only at clients’ homes and own little business property, standalone general liability may fit better. Neither one covers employees, vehicles or animals in your care.
Is a BOP cheaper than buying policies separately?
Generally yes. Carriers price the package below the sum of the individual coverages, which is why BOPs exist. Published averages run roughly $80 to $141 a month depending on the source and the book of business, with a wide spread around that.
Does a BOP cover dogs in my care?
Not by default. General liability excludes property in your care, custody or control, and policies treat animals as property. Some pet-specific BOPs build in boarding kennel liability; otherwise you need animal bailee coverage added. Always ask for it to be quoted with its own per-incident and aggregate limits in writing.
Does a BOP include workers’ compensation?
No. Every carrier reviewed lists workers’ compensation as a separate policy. Most states require it once you have employees.
Can I get a BOP if I run my pet business from home?
Usually not under standard BOP guidelines, which typically require the business to operate outside the owner’s home. Home-based pet businesses generally need a different structure, and a homeowners policy will not cover the business activity.
What is not covered by a BOP?
Employee injuries, business vehicles, professional service errors, cyber and data breach claims, flood and earthquake without endorsement, and third-party property in your custody — which is the category animals fall into.
Get a BOP Priced for a Pet Business, Not a Generic One
A BOP is the right foundation for most pet businesses. The difference between a good one and a cheap one is what sits on top of it — animal bailee, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, professional liability.
Pull your current policy and check three things: whether business income is on it, whether animal bailee or kennel liability appears anywhere, and what the limits actually are.
Call us at (714) 695-1127 or start a quote online. We insure pet businesses, and we will tell you exactly what your BOP covers and what it is missing.