07/19/21 Pet boarding services need clearly regulated conditions
Animal Friends Croatia are warning guardians to be careful where they leave animals for care
- They have sent proposals for making a regulation about hotels and boarding facilities for pets to the Ministry of Agriculture
Animal Friends Croatia every year warns about abandoning pets before vacations which is not only extremely cruel but is also punishable by Animal Protection Act. They also emphasize that it does not mean that everything else is better than that so that it can justify, for example, leaving the dog on a leash in a yard and having neighbors visit the dog when it is convenient for them. It also does not mean it can justify leaving animals to anyone or to hotels and boarding facilities that do not provide good conditions.
"Most people probably think that hotels for dogs and cats or animal daycare centers will be competition to one another and that they will compete about having better conditions, and that caregivers will be very careful to leave their four-legged family member to the one with the best conditions. Unfortunately, that does not have to be the case. There are always those who remember at the last minute that they need to place a dog or a cat somewhere and there are those to whom the price of the accommodation is the most important so they will turn the blind eye to everything else because it is only for two weeks", states Animal Friends Croatia Association.
Therefore, they think it is important to remind everyone to think in advance where and to whom they will leave their dog or cat for care if they decide not to take the animal with them. But they also emphasize that it is equally important that the conditions in the pet boarding services are not left to the facilities themselves but it is necessary that those conditions are regulated by competent institutions, that is Ministry of Agriculture.
"We're talking about a profit sector which one can start with a desire to ensure the best of the best. But there are those who will only try to make a good profit and to spare on everything as well as live off the customers who do not care about the conditions but only about the price of the service. That is why an effective regulation is needed which will determine minimum conditions and will ensure animal welfare in the temporary accommodation. Such regulation should be based on good practice which should be set as a standard below which one should not go so the animal welfare would not be endangered", said the Association.
Many believe that hotels for dogs should have much better conditions than animal shelters and that it is something that should be kept in mind when making regulations. AFC has sent proposals to the Ministry of Agriculture for making a quality regulation that would regulate temporary pet boarding services and animal hotels. They hope their proposals will be considered and accepted.
Since there is no regulation currently, Animal Friends Croatia emphasizes that pet guardians need to carefully check the conditions of pet boarding services where they plan to leave their animal. Also, to check the conduct towards the dogs and cats so they can be sure that their family member will be treated well.
"Some hotels for dogs and cats also offer video surveillance with which guardians can see their pet at any moment, on their smartphone. Today, that is not difficult nor expensive for the pet boarding facilities but it is commendable for sure. We invite guardians to choose those pet boarding facilities which provide superior care that a dog and a cat would have in their homes.", AFC concludes.
Prevela: Anamarija Laziæ