31 July 2000



L.A. Licences Are No Assurance Says Which?

Following an undercover investigation, the consumer magazine Which? has just published a damning report on the state of UK boarding kennels and catteries.

In their report Which? name and shame a number of boarding establishments in the south of England.

Posing as a pet owner planning his holiday, their inspector found unsuitable conditions such as unclean pens, lack of security and even the housing of cats in pens facing dogs in one third of the premises visited.

The magazine contacted the proprietors and told them what they had found. Whilst some owners accepted the criticisms it was pointed out that they had been inspected and licensed by their local authorities.

And herein lies the problem for the pet owner.

The 1963 Animal Boarding Establishments (ABE) Act defines the keeping of an ABE as:

'..the carrying on..at premises of any nature (including a private dwelling) of a business of providing accommodation for other peoples animals:'

It requires anyone keeping an ABE for cats and/or dogs to hold a licence issued by their local authority.

It is up to the local authority to interpret the Act in setting out the terms of the licence.

In general licences state that:

  • Animals must be kept in suitable accommodation regarding construction, size of quarters, number of occupants, exercising facilities, temperature, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness;


  • Animals are adequately supplied with suitable food, drink and bedding material, adequately exercised and visited at 'suitable intervals'.


  • Reasonable precautions are taken to prevent and control the spread among animals of infectious or contagious diseases, including the provision of adequate isolation facilities;


  • Appropriate steps are taken for the protection of the animals in case of fire or other emergency;


  • A register is kept containing a description of any animals received into the establishment, date of arrival and departure, and the name and address of the owner.


    • (Further guidance on conditions relating to licences is given in a booklet published by the British Veterinary Association, also see below.)

    Inspection of premises and licence renewal is on an annual basis. Within these terms there is a great deal of scope for (mis)interpretation by proprietors and inspectors. The Which? report points out that standards vary from one local authority to another and indicates that inspection and follow up is not always as thorough as it might be.

    This problem was recognised back in 1995 when a report was produced aimed at improving animal welfare and kennel and cattery management.

    Based on the work of the Chartered Institute for Environmental Health (CIEH) Animal Boarding Establishments Working Party, it was later amended by discussions with the following:

    British Veterinary Association (BVA),
    British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA),
    Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB),
    Pet Trade and Industry Association (PTIA)
    Association of District Councils (ADC)

    This resulted in the publication of two documents:

    The Model Licence Conditions and Guidance for Cat Boarding Establishments

    The Model Licence Conditions and Guidance for Dog Boarding Establishments

    [Published by Chadwick House Group Ltd. (ISBN: 0 900 103 523) 1995 (£7.00)]

    These documents now form the basis for most local authority licensing but they are only guidelines and not enforced by law and as has been demonstrated by this latest report, are no guarantee of high standards within the boarding sector.

    Pet owners are as ever advised to visit their ABEs before booking and compare conditions.

    Contact Which? for the full report.