Boarding establishments

Policy:  PAC believes that any establishment boarding dogs or cats, including home boarding for dogs, should comply with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) National Guidelines on Boarding Establishments: Kennels and Catteries.  PAC considers that home boarding of cats is unacceptable for health reasons.  PAC would like Regulations and a Code of Practice for Licensing Boarding Establishments to be developed within the animal welfare legislation framework as soon as possible – as intended when the Bills were first discussed.

Pet owners should be encouraged to visit a variety of establishments to check on suitability before the final decision is made, but animal welfare should be paramount.

Background:  The Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1951 provides little detail on the standards expected of boarding establishments.  The CIEH Guidance attempts to provide the detail and, although introduced in 1995, sets a reasonable baseline.  However enforcement varies significantly between local authorities as they are enabled to set their own standards and inspection regimes.  The production by governments of secondary legislation and a Code of Practice would rule out such anomalies.