In an email to breeders, AKC Pet Insurance announced yesterday that its breeder support porgrams in California and Washington are no longer active effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Chief Executive Officer Lane Kent of Independence Pet Group, the parent company of AKC Pet Insurance, has not returned TCR’s requests for comment. Seattle-based Trupanion, a competitor of AKC Pet Insurance with breeder support program which competes directly with AKC Pet, confirmed yesterday through spokesman Michael Nank that its breeder support programs in California and Washington are fully operational. However, in the e-mail Independence issued to breeders below, the implication is that the reason AKC Pet’s programs were dropped had to do with with an issue impacting all carriers.

Mr. Kent also declined to comment when asked if there was a particular issue with how AKC Pet’s breeder support programs were operating in California and Washington which may have prompted regulatory action. More to follow. 

Email from AKC Pet Insurance to Breeders

California and Washington State will no longer allow in-state puppy buyers to activate the Initial 30 Days of Pet Insurance Coverage.” 

Full Email:

Hi there,

Thank you for being an AKC Breeder! You’re receiving this email because you’re located on the west coast, and we want to notify you of upcoming changes to AKC Pet Insurance’s Initial 30 Days of Pet Insurance Coverage.

The Initial 30 Days of Pet Insurance Coverage is a no-cost benefit of registering a puppy with the American Kennel Club and it can help with unexpected expenses incurred due to an eligible accident or illness. As of 1/1/2023, both California and Washington State will no longer allow in-state puppy buyers to activate the Initial 30 Days of Pet Insurance Coverage.

If you sell puppies in these states, your buyers do not have access to this additional feature of AKC registration. However, California and Washington State puppy buyers will still have the opportunity to enroll in a full-term policy and we encourage them to speak to one of our customer care representatives for more information.

If you are selling to puppy buyers in any of the other 48 states outside of California or Washington, they will still have the ability to enroll in the offer.

Please reach out to our Breeder Support Team if you have any questions or need additional clarification. They can be reached at breeders@akcpetinsurance.com or at 800-956-2491.