Essential Advice: Why licensed boarding?
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The Good Kennel Guide only lists Kennels that have obtained an Animal Boarding License issued by the Local Council under the animal welfare licensing of activities involving animals England Regulations 2018. These regulations changed the previous licensing regime for businesses involved in dog breeding, dog and cat boarding including home boarding, dog day care, the selling of pet animals, and the exhibiting of animals. So besides being illegal, why is it so important to ensure that kennels or home boarder that you are using holds a licence?
Licensed Kennels or home boarders |
Unlicensed kennels or home boarders |
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Accommodation is well constructed and safe |
Accommodation may not be safe or secure, meaning that animals may be able to escape, run loose or be stolen |
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Accommodation size that is suitable for the safety, size and number of animals |
Space could be confined, noisy or stressful with too many animals and without any windows to look outside |
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Animals are well fed and exercised |
Animals will be bored, lonely and stressed |
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Animals are protected from disease, fire or other emergencies |
Animals are not protected should there be an emergency, such as a fire or flood |
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Accommodation is clean and suitably lit |
Accommodation may be in squalid, smelly and dirty conditions |
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Accommodation is well ventilated and the temperature appropriate for the climate |
No windows, heating or air meaning that the accommodation is too cold in winter and too hot in summer |
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Suitable bedding, food and drink are provided |
Uncomfortable, dehydrated and hungry animals |
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Animals are visited at suitable intervals |
Animals are lonely, scared and stressed |
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Care is taken to prevent and avoid spread of infectious or contagious diseases, including providing suitable isolation facilities |
Disease and infection spread quickly from animal to animal, especially if other conditions are also poor |
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A register is kept containing information about the animals (and their owners) in the care of the kennel or home boarder |
No register or control of animals in their care, animals could be stolen. May make it impossible to contact owners or vets should there be a problem or emergency |
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The register and premises must be available for inspection by the official/veterinarian of the local authority at any time |
Accommodation is unregulated and goes unchecked meaning animals are continually kept in poor conditions |
So, you can see from the “Spot the difference” table above that booking a licensed kennel makes the world of difference, most importantly to your dog. It could be the difference between a happy, content and relaxed animal who is happy to see you upon your return, and your pet being left with physical and emotional problems for years to come, and that is assuming that nothing worse happens whilst you are away.
So, booking a kennels that has not been issued with an animal boarding license could present any number of risks to your pet. Booking through The Good Kennel Guide is not only very convenient but also gives you peace of mind that your dog is in good hands without the worry of having to check a licence yourself.
Similar Articles
Good Dogs. Good Kennels.
The Good Kennel Guide takes the stress out of dog boarding by only listing licensed kennels and boarders who meet the standards required by the Animal Licensing (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018.
All kennels and boarders that hold a valid licence have a free listing on the website which kennel owners and boarders can “claim” by creating a free account - this allows them to personalise some of their listing and interact with dog owners.
An easy-to-use system for dog owners
The Good Kennel Guide takes the stress out of dog boarding by only listing licensed kennels and boarders who meet the standards required by the Animal Boarding Act 1963.
Dog owners can sign up and create a profile here - it's really simple, and only takes a few moments.
Add your dog to your private profile to submit enquiries to kennel owners and boarders, send messages, and leave reviews following boarding.
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