The Hartford doesn’t offer animal rescue insurance online, but a local agency or Tivly may be able to help you find the coverage you need. The following content includes information from various sources and can change over time.
What Is Animal Rescue Insurance?
Animal rescue insurance is another name for small business insurance. It’s a package made up of different types of business insurance coverages to help safeguard against the risks you face as you care for animals and manage volunteers. Also known as animal shelter insurance or animal sanctuary insurance, this coverage provides comprehensive support to help protect you from the challenges that come with operating a pet care business.
Common types of insurance that can be part of an animal rescue insurance package can include:
- Business Owner’s Policy (BOP)
- Workers’ compensation insurance
- Animal bailee
Although The Hartford doesn’t offer insurance for animal rescue organizations, Tivly can help you get the coverage you’re looking for.
Why Might You Need Animal Rescue Insurance?
Animal rescue insurance is a collection of coverages designed to help protect your organization from a variety of claims and liabilities. Insurance for dog rescue groups or other animal rescue operations can cover many potential risks, like:
- Injured visitors: A dog bites a potential adopter during a meet-and-greet.
- Equipment theft: Someone breaks into your transport van and steals your crates.
- Canceled events: An outdoor event is called off due to extreme heat.
Animal Rescue Insurance Coverages
When it comes to protecting your animal rescue, you’ll want to ensure you have coverage that matches your business’ needs. Many animal rescues have a Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) because of the peace of mind it can provide. It combines three types of insurance to help protect you from everyday risks:
General liability insurance to help protect your animal rescue from claims that it caused bodily injury or property damage to others.
Commercial property insurance to help protect the owned or rented building you operate from, as well as the tools, equipment and supplies you rely on. These can include:
- Crates
- Computers
- Pet food
- Leashes
- Pet beds
- Medicine
Business income insurance to help replace lost income if you can’t operate temporarily due to covered property damage caused by fire, wind or theft.
Remember, a BOP won’t cover every kind of claim you may face while running an animal rescue. You’ll need to get other types of insurance to create well-rounded protection, such as:
Workers’ compensation insurance to give benefits to your employees to help them recover from a work-related injury or illness.
Commercial auto insurance to help protect you or your employees on the road if you get into a car accident when using a company-owned vehicle for business.
How Much Does Animal Rescue Insurance Cost?
The cost of animal rescue insurance varies because every organization faces unique issues. Insurance companies may consider several factors when determining your coverage cost, including:
- Number of employees
- Location of your business
- Type of coverage
- Your claims history
- The limits you select for your coverage
Although The Hartford doesn’t offer coverage for animal rescues, here are the average costs our small business customers pay for common types of insurance. You can use this to help estimate your coverage costs:**
- BOP: $1,687 a year, or about $141 a month
- Stand-alone general liability insurance: $810 a year, or about $68 a month
- Workers’ compensation insurance: $1,032 a year, or $86 a month
- Professional liability insurance: $744 a year, or $62 a month2
To find out your specific animal rescue organization insurance costs, get a free online quote through Tivly.
Animal Liability Insurance
“A dog bit someone during an adoption event, and they went to the ER for stitches.”
Animal liability insurance specifically covers injuries or damage caused by animals in your care, including bites, scratches, or behavioral incidents during transport or adoption events.
Cyber Insurance
“Our customer relationship management system was hacked, and private information about our clients were stolen. We couldn’t run the rescue because our entire system was locked down.”
Cyber insurance can help your rescue respond to a data breach or cyberattack. It can help cover the costs to notify impacted individuals and help you recover.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance
“My groomer got a nasty bite while working with a scared dog.”
Workers’ compensation insurance gives your team benefits to help them recover from work-related injuries or illnesses. It can help pay their medical bills and replace lost wages.
Animal Bailee
“A volunteer was walking a dog when it slipped its collar and ran off.”
Animal bailee coverage can help protect your business if an animal in your care gets lost or hurt.
Commercial Property Insurance
“Our air conditioning system was leaking and caused significant damages to our ceiling and equipment.”
Commercial property insurance helps protect your business' equipment, furniture and inventory from loss or damage caused by events like storms, fires or vandalism.
Commercial Auto Insurance
“One of our adoption counselors was using the rescue’s van to transport dogs to an event. He accidentally side-swiped cars in a parking lot.”
Commercial auto insurance can help cover property damage and bodily injury claims if an employee gets into an accident while driving a business-owned vehicle for work.
Animal Rescue Insurance That Cares as Much as You Do
Protect the work you love with coverage designed for the realities of animal rescue. Tivly can help you get the coverage you need.
Last Updated: October 10, 2025
2 What you pay for professional liability insurance will vary by product, limits chosen and risk class or hazard group associated with your business.
3 Pingdom, “Average Cost of Downtime Per Industry”
4 The American Animal Hospital Association, “This Job Bites!”
5 Risk & Insurance, “Water damage Is a Leading Cause of Commercial Real Estate Claims. How Sensor Technologies Help Mitigate These Claims”
** Costs, premiums, and coverages mentioned are estimates and are not guaranteed. Actual cost, premium, and coverage are determined at the time of quote or issue and are specific to an individual risk. Premiums are based on information provided to The Hartford, including, but not limited to, underwriting and rating criteria. All examples included on this website or in an advertisement are intended for informational purposes only and are not an offer or a guarantee of premium or coverage. Coverage and products described are subject to the terms and conditions found in the policy contract. Any educational information provided about available coverages does not modify the policy language or imply that any claim is covered. Products are not available in all states or for all businesses.
The Hartford does not currently have a product available to provide the coverage described on this page. You are being referred to Tivly in an effort to connect you with a carrier who may provide this coverage. This link will redirect you to a third-party website, owned and operated by an independent party ("Tivly"). Any link you make to or from the Tivly website will be at your own risk. Any use of the Tivly website will be subject to and any information you provide will be governed by the terms of the Tivly website, including those relating to confidentiality, data privacy and security. The Hartford and its affiliates (collectively "The Hartford") do not endorse or approve and make no warranties, representations or undertakings relating to the content of the Tivly website. The Hartford assumes no liability for loss, damage and any other consequence resulting directly or indirectly from your access to the Tivly website or any information that you may provide on the Tivly website.
Additional disclosures below.