Licensing
When we first opened our doors back in 2010 Home Boarding was a fairly informal sort of affair; there were lots of people looking after dogs for their owners on an occasional basis but only two others that I know about who were doing it full time and ‘professionally’. House of Mutt, Paw Seasons and The Dog House in Wales were a fairly tight little band!
Now however the sector has blossomed and even has a professional body organisation, the Association of Dog Boarders, which formed in 2019. Owners are increasingly turned off by the thought of kennels, and seem to appreciate the idea of people opening up their homes to welcome visiting dogs.
There are, inevitably, Home Boarders (caps) and home boarders (def lower case)…ummmm, that perhaps is a scribble for another time. But for now, let’s focus on licensing - what it takes to get a Home Boarding License, what it means and what we’ve all got here. Or at least, my interpretation of all the above!
In order to legally practice Home Boarding you need to hold insurance, and a License issued by your Local Authority, for which you will have had a detailed inspection and submitted many many many forms. DEFRA has issued sector guidelines but it is up to each Local Authority to interpret those guidelines and issue their assessment of the provision offered. Much like Planning Permission I guess. Our six Houses within House of Mutt, although each within 40 minutes of here, fall within four different Local Authorities and each report a fairly different set of priorities from their inspection teams.
Reassuringly, the physical safety of the dogs is the overwhelming priority. So, fencing is inspected, doorways, security systems, key-holders, processes, expertise of those looking after the dogs and so on. Numbers of dogs versus space available is another big one - rightly so. Proof that the local vet practice is happy to treat dogs in your care; and proof that in the event of an emergency you have a back-up team prioritising the welfare of the dogs. All sensible stuff to ensure that visiting dogs are being kept in a secure, safe environment.
Next off, the emotional safety of the dogs. Are they kept occupied with suitable activities, stimulation, exercise. Are they correctly introduced to each other. Are they happy, and what processes do you have in place to action if they’re not?
Finally, are the records tight, correct, GDPR-compliant, secure, informative, conclusive, and so on. Do the owners know everything they need to know and does the Home Boarder know everything they need to know? Are the vaccination records of each dog recorded? Is the Medical Records Book kept up to date?
You get the idea.
A License can be granted for a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years. During that time, the authorities will drop in for a chance inspection; and at the end of that time, Boarders need to reapply for another license for which they will be reinspected. Star ratings are awarded up to *****, largely dependent on the amount of experience the Boarder has had, the qualifications they’ve got, and the standard of the accommodation. Local Authorities do though seem to have quite different specifications for the * ratings, so for example some will issue a first timer with four stars where another wouldn’t, come what may. All our Houses have between three and five stars, with the lower end being down to years of experience in formal dog care. Our informal dog care years are though, like all the best years, multiplied by 7, and not necessarily reflected in a tick box, so that works for me!
There is one area though that we, as a group, are routinely picked up on - and that is over the issue of Trial Stays. An issue recently also experienced by Abbi of HoM Spot Farm who as a first time licensor, is fresh from the inspectors’ hands.
Trial Stays are required by the licensors, but at the risk of sticking my neck in to dangerous waters, are perhaps an area that isn’t as completely thought through as perhaps it might be?? In our experience in/out stays of just one night, a ‘Trial Stay’ in other words, are disruptive for both the new dog arriving and the dogs who are already staying. This can result in a negative experience for the new dog, which is exactly the opposite of what is intended by the legislation. Not to mention the impossibility of trialling every different combination of dogs throughout any one stay, and the issue to travel to/from London for a single night’s stay, and the changing needs of dogs as they mature or undergo illnesses or whatever. One ‘Trial Stay’ per dog’s lifetime or one Trial Stay per stay? The guidelines don’t seem to specify. Ummm….
Our policy has always been to:
Have grown-up, up-front, honest conversations with owners prior to any dog being booked in, about exactly what the dog likes/doesn’t like/is likely to do and exactly what we are here, including likes/don’t likes/are likely to do’s
We all digest this information and, using our combined experience, come to a decision on whether House of Mutt is suitable for the dog and vice versa.
If there is any doubt, either we will visit the dog at home to assess further, and where the dog is in its own relaxed environment. Or we will suggest the dog comes up for a minimum stay of 4 nights, and when the owner is available to collect the dog on the off chance that we all decide Home Boarding is never going to be the long-term answer for that particular dog.
This seems to work well.
So for the licensing perspective, because we obviously have to comply yet don’t want to change something that we feel really ‘works’, we have written in to our House Rules that every first night of every stay is a Trial Night, and that if perchance the dog doesn’t settle or doesn’t get on with a neighbour or doesn’t appear to be happy, we’ll contact the owner to discuss what they’d like us to do next. That could be to give it another couple of nights, it could be to try a different HoM House, it could be to return the dog back home or it could be to deliver the dog to a nominated carer back at home. That way, owners are happy there is a process in place if it doesn’t work, we’re happy that the dogs are being given a really positive experience, and hopefully the authorities are happy that every dog combination is being given a proper Trial Stay.
And in the meantime, my husband (vet, working in welfare) happened to be sitting between an RSPCA Welfare exec and a DEFRA Policy bod at an animal welfare dinner in London recently in some very glorious Worshipful Hall, and this very topic came up in conversation. Interesting to be able to add the HoM experiences to the debate. And wouldn’t it be fabulous if they may just be reflected in the next set of legislation revisions!
I’d love to know your thoughts on Trial Stays - have we got it about right or do you think there’s more/less we should and could be doing?
Thanks so much, S