Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

Kati, an Embraced dog rescued from a puppy mill by the Best Friends Animal Society

Do you ever wonder what happened to the puppy mill dogs you hear about once the limelight and attention has moved elsewhere?

It turns out that Kati, one of the 170 puppy mill dogs rescued in May 2007 from a Nebraska farm, has ended up as an Embraced pet in Arizona, care of the Best Friends Animal Society and Lisa Sayler, Kati's new mom.

Best Friends wrote up Lisa and Kati's story on their website in the article "Toys, belly rubs and swimming pools"

170 dogs removed from a large commercial breeder's property in May 2007. The frightened dogs were rescued by the Nebraska Humane Society of Omaha, and Best Friends Animal Society took in 10 of the dogs with the most serious emotional issues. Kati was one of those dogs. With some tender, loving, one-on-one care from Best Friends staffers, Kati's emotional wounds began to heal.

It's a great story and we're delighted that Lisa chose Embrace to insure Kati. To read more, check out the story here.

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US, I'm sure there are many dogs and cats who would thank the Best Friends Animal Society for their health and well-being. Who would you thank for your pet's health?

Pet gift idea for your favorite cat or dog lover: give veterinary care to those that need it

If you are looking for a holiday gift for a cat or dog lover that's a little more caring this season, how about a donation to help those who cannot afford veterinary care on behalf of your favorite dog or cat lover.

Bring Pet Care to Those Who Need it Most

Dogs and cats are always there for us. Help us always be there for them.

For many in the world's most disadvantaged communities a pet is all a person has. But pets suffer from poverty the same way their owners do and are vulnerable to disease, malnutrition, and abandonment if their owners are without the means to provide proper care.

Your gift will provide desperately needed veterinary care and vital animal education to pet owners in some of the world's poorest communities.

We were planning our Christmas gift exchange and Carrie came up with this idea. The minimum gift amount of $25 is a bit above our office limit of $10 but I thought it was such a good idea that I just had to share.

Got any other good ideas you want to share with others?

Make your pet Progressive Insurance's pet of the week

Progressive has added a new feature to its website - a pet photo gallery.

You now have the ability for visitors to Progressive.com to easily upload photos of their dog or cat, and then vote for a pet of the week. It's a fun thing to do (especially for an Insurance Company of all things :) )

As you may recall Progressive Insurance was the first to introduce free pet injury coverage on their auto or RV policyholders so this is an interesting way to engage those of us with pets and cars (only about 70 million households!)

Anyway it's a bit of fun if you are in need of some warm and fuzzies (and who doesn't these days).

I loaded up Barnes ("Barnes Bennett") so go vote for him or any of the other cuties up there. Or even upload your own pet's picture and I'll vote - just let me know in the comments who I'm voting for and I'm there.

News: Embrace Pet Insurance Secures Over $2 Million in First Institutional Funding Round

You may have seen our press release this week - we've just raised our first round of institutional funding. Woo-hoo!

In the evolution of developing company, it's quite a big accomplishment to pursuade professional investors to take a plunge in one's company, particularly in this economic environment, so we feel very positive about our next phase of growth.

“We are excited about NCT Venture's decision to invest in our company and see this funding as a tremendous vote of confidence in our product leadership and growth strategy, particularly in these difficult economic times,” said Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of Embrace. “This investment will help us continue to deliver the industry’s best pet insurance product suite to pet parents, grow our sales and marketing support, and become one of the few in the industry to do so profitably.”
[That Bennett, she's such a know-it-all :)]

We're particularly pleased with NCT Ventures as our investing partners. They are entrepreneurs as well and know from experience the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. We are looking forward to working with them to grow Embrace.

NCT Ventures (www.nctventures.com) is a Columbus, OH-based venture capital firm that is founded by entrepreneurs. The NCT investment team is passionate about people and they believe an idea is only as good the entrepreneurs behind it. Over the past 20 years NCT has helped build and grow many successful companies and they get excited about sharing experiences, methods and time with entrepreneurs through hands-on operational support. NCT’s investment focus is in marketing, logistics and disruptive business models that are headquartered in the Midwest.

Now that we have raised some money, don't be looking for an Embrace Super Bowl ad any time soon (nor a placement on a cable home renovation show - please stop calling!)

It's time to stay focused and continue to grow. This difficult economy is going to be a test but when we make it through the other side, we'll be a better company for it.

Now, back to work; no time for slacking...

Embrace Pet Insurance in AARP magazine

Even AARP is talking about pet insurance in their November 2008 online article "Is a Policy on Your Pet the Best Deal?"

I was quoted about using pet insurance reducing risk in the family finances:

By opting for pet insurance, 'You're reducing the risk in your life,' said Laura Bennett, chief executive officer and co-founder of Embrace Pet Insurance. 'In today's uncertain economy, you want to decrease uncertainty in your life. It reduces the spike of expense you would have to face,' if a pet faced an expensive health issue, she advised.

The idea of pet insurance usually comes around 'after the fact,' she continued. 'The fact is that the unexpected can always happen. You think of all of the positive things about having a pet the company, the fun, the naughtiness, not the financial responsibility, which obviously hits home when something expensive happens. Pet insurance is one of those things you can't buy when you need it.'

The tone of the article is very typical for the US though - not sure really if pet insurance is a good idea.

Interestingly, in the UK, where over 20% of cats and dogs are insured, most articles about why you'd be crazy not to get pet insurance.

When do you think US journalists will work it out?