Pet Nups prove UK loves its pooches, says pet insurance technology expert, Aquarium Software

Animal charity rolls out legal document to protect pets from divorce fallout

A global insurance technology firm is backing the bizarre legal innovation of a so called ‘Pet Nup’, from animal welfare charity The Blue Cross. The document, which is said to be legally binding, can be downloaded from the charity’s site and will protect the pet from any four-legged custodial problems that may arise from a divorce or break up; pet insurance technology experts Aquarium Software say it is one more thing to make your pet’s life more care free, and reduce the stress on the owner-pet relationship.  
 
“At Aquarium we’re all for anything that makes the life of our pets easier, I think that comes from our extensive work in the pet insurance industry, and this latest legal file could protect your animal’s interests in stormy times,” said Mark Colonnese Aquarium VP Sales and Marketing. “When couples go through a messy divorce, the animal may often be the last thing they are worried about; this potentially changes that and puts the four legged friend on an equal footing with other family possessions.”
 
The legal pet possession document comes after a survey of divorced couples found that one in four argued about what should happen to the animal post break-up, whilst the charity has already had to re home 1000 pets over the last five years as the result of divorces. The research also measured what the biggest bones of contention were over pets embroiled in a divorce battle; the biggest concerns being who will walk the dog and how often it will have to be groomed.
 
Aquarium Software is no stranger to improving animal welfare issues as their software strives to improve the service and cost of the pet insurance industry through the implementation of its pet technology platforms. Aquarium’s aim is to make the industry more profitable for the insurer, which in turn will make it more affordable for the consumer, the final result being more insured pets.
 
“Just like this pre-nup, it’s important we think ahead for our pets no matter what may happen further down the line and the most effective way to do that is through pet insurance,” said Colonnese. “Insurance offers cover against all pet conditions ensuring the best chance of a speedy return to health, no matter how pricey the vet fees; but in its current form, many find the steep insurance premiums unaffordable.”

Pet insurance is not cheap; estimates suggest the average cost of insurance premiums is now £220 a year for a product you may never need to use. Many suggest that this is the main reason for over half of all pets in the UK being uninsured leaving their owners to cough up to £3,500 in vets bills depending on the ailment, with the average vets bill costing £300 in the UK.
 
Aquarium’s state of the art technology aims to combat these steep fees by preventing claims leakage and pet insurance fraud whilst enabling a more efficient claims process. They create bespoke platforms that utilise state of the art cloud software and a process they call “management by exception” that calls on vet and insurance records to effectively action claims. They have long applied their technology solutions to more traditional insurance markets, such as the car and home sectors, however they have changed their focus in order to make the pet insurance industry more viable for pet owners.
 
“We’ve taken what we know about insurance software and technology as a whole and applied it to the pet insurance market,” concluded Colonnese. “We know what a valuable product pet insurance can be in maintaining an animal’s health and wellbeing, yet we were shocked by the figures and the ongoing struggle faced by pet insurance companies to keep premiums down. By adapting our software to the pet market, we’ve already made a very real difference.”
 
For more information on Aquarium Software and their bespoke insurance technology platforms, visit www.aquarium-software.com