Canine Cough. Just hearing those two dreaded words can strike fear in the heart of anyone who owns or runs a pet care facility. An outbreak of canine cough can be absolutely devastating to a business. It spreads like wildfire and so does the negative publicity about your establishment. If you have ever had to deal with canine cough, you know what a nightmare it is.

The dictionary defines canine cough as this: a highly contagious, acute respiratory disease of dogs, commonly consisting of laryngitis, tracheitis, and bronchitis. Canine parainfluenza virus, canine adenoviruses types 1 and 2, canine herpesvirus and Bordetella bronchiseptica are the most common infectious agents. It is also called canine infectious tracheobronchitis or rhinotracheitis.

No matter what the scientific names are, we in the pet care industry will most likely continue to refer to it as kennel cough or canine cough. Infectious diseases are always a concern for people in the pet industry. Even when you require that your clients have their pets immunized, it’s not a guarantee that you will be protected. It only takes one sick pet to cause you untold problems.

If canine cough infiltrates your facility, most likely you will have to temporarily close your operations. That translates into untold hours of cleaning and disinfecting everything, no money coming in, very unhappy clients with sick pets, and possible permanent damage to your good reputation. Some businesses never recover from all the overwhelming problems that come with canine cough. The business dies and with it goes all the dreams of its owner.

In the past, if your facility was dealing with canine cough, you were pretty much on your own. Well, you’re not alone anymore. Governor Insurance has been deeply involved in providing coverage for individuals and businesses in the pet care industry since the 1980’s.

In 1985, Bob Thompson, the owner of Governor Insurance, was contacted by Jeff Reynolds of the National Dog Groomers Association of America (NDGAA), who asked Bob to provide groomers with professional liability insurance and animal coverage. Mr. Thompson researched their specialized needs, and then designed and developed coverage packages specifically for the professional groomer.

In the 1990’s Mr. Thompson was approached by mobile groomers seeking coverage for their vans and conversions. He understood that mobile units were critical to their daily business and if their unit was damaged or destroyed, they would be unable to work. He designed comprehensive coverage for the mobile groomer, which included protection for their vans and loss of income coverage.

Next he was able to procure insurance packages for doggie daycare operations which have their own unique set of needs. And now, Governor Insurance has introduced a new coverage that will protect you against the losses sustained to your business, due to canine cough.

Bob Thompson researched all the issues associated with a canine cough outbreak and its aftermath, and designed this specialized coverage. It is now available to kennels, daycares, groomers, pet stores, and any pet related business.

“Governor Insurance is the only agency in the nation that offers this unique coverage,” says Mr. Thompson. “Here are some of the things that it protects it’s policyholders against:

1. The loss in business income sustained from the suspension of your operation.
2. The costs of veterinarian expenses to treat animals.
3. It reimburses the expenses to clean and disinfect your facilities.
4. It pays the costs to restore your operations and reputation due to canine cough related instances.”

This protection takes care of many of the problems and losses that a business can experience from a canine cough outbreak. It has been needed and requested by pet care professionals for a long time.

“Governor Insurance is committed to the pet care industry,” says Bob Thompson. “We have always listened to their needs. We’ve been helping them protect themselves and their businesses for over twenty-six years.”

There have been many changes in the pet care industry since the 1980’s when Bob Thompson wrote those first business liability policies for professional groomers. And, as the needs of groomers grew, Governor Insurance grew along with them and developed more types of coverages to protect them.

This Loss Against Canine Cough insurance is just one more way that Governor Insurance provides protection to members of the pet care industry. With this coverage, pet care facilities will no longer have to fear those two dreaded words – canine cough.

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