Coverage for working pets

Working pets often provide a great service to their owners and these owners want to protect them as best they can. Unfortunately, treatment for injuries and illnesses related to activities performed by working pets is often excluded from coverage because of the higher probability for them to occur – but Trupanion offers owners of working pets the option to insure their working pet with coverage for these injuries and illnesses.

Search and rescue dogs

Search and rescue dogs are a valuable asset in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and locating missing people or objects. These dogs require extensive training and dedicated handlers to be effective. Typically these dogs work in small teams and can be trained specifically for rubble, water, and avalanche searches. The most common search and rescue dog breeds include German Shepherds, Border Collies, Labrador Retrievers, and Bloodhounds. Examples of common injuries sustained by search and rescue dogs include eye irritants, musculoskeletal injuries and lacerations.

Herding dogs

Herding dogs serve one of two functions – either to help keep groups of animals together (called “headers”), or to help move groups of animals from place to place (called “heelers”). Headers move to the front of a group of animals to turn or stop their movements while heelers stay behind the herd to keep them moving forward. Injuries common to herding dogs include being kicked, sprains, strains, and ligament tears. Dog breeds common to this activity include Border Collies, Australian Kelpies, Australian Cattle Dogs, Old English Sheepdogs, and Shetland Sheepdogs.

Sled dogs

Sled dogs are highly trained dogs who pull sleds or sleighs over snow or ice. These sleds are used for hunting, travel, and law enforcement. Great effort is spent selecting these dogs based on endurance, strength, and speed. Common breeds associated with this activity include Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds, and Siberian Huskies. Common injuries include musculoskeletal injuries.

Guard dogs

Guard dogs are used to guard people or places from intruders. These dogs are trained to bark loudly upon sensing an intruder, to alert their owners to the intruder’s presence and/or scare away the intruder. They may also be trained to attack and restrain the intruder. Common guard dogs include Chow Chows, Boxers, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers. There is a higher probability that guard dogs will become injured during their altercations with intruders. Examples of injuries include toxin ingestion (illegal substances), lacerations, musculoskeletal injuries, and gunshot wounds.

Assistance animals

Assistance animals are any type of dog or cat that help their owner by mitigating the symptoms or effects of that person’s disability by either performing tasks or providing comfort. One type of Assistance Animal is a Service Animal, which is trained specifically to do work or perform tasks which are directly related to their handler’s disability. Another type of assistance animal is an Emotional Support Animal (ESA). ESA’s mere presence provides comfort, which helps alleviate the symptoms or effects of their owner’s disability.

Therapy pets

Therapy pets differ from assistance animals in that they typically do not help their owners with day-to-day activities, but instead are trained to provide affection and comfort to people outside of their home, such as in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, and areas affected by natural disasters. Any breed regardless of size can become a therapy pet. The most important characteristic of a therapy pet is its temperament – it must be friendly, patient, confident, gentle, and at ease in a variety of situations.