And, according to JoAnne Novak, vice president of new businessdevelopment and employee benefits for Hartville Group, another petinsurance provider, 70 million households own either a dog or acat.

A Growing Market
“Pet insurance as a whole is growing as a market,” says ChrisAshton, president of Petplan. “Not every employee will be eligiblefor it, but statistics show that more than 60 percent of householdshave at least one pet, so it's a good market for brokers.”

The increased demand has led to an increased number ofproviders, according to Chris Middleton, director of sales andmarketing for Pets Best Insurance. “There have been a lot of newentrants into the market, both in terms of new companies, as wellas licensing arrangements of insurance companies that have been inbusiness for awhile that are now partnering with animal welfaregroups,” he reports.