Can anyone give me a logical explanation to why we need to have a licence to board dogs in our own home and dont need them to board any other pets
is this not just another way for our council to make money out of us
Is it not expensive enough to set up with out them wanting their bit , we spent all last year making sure my home and garden is safe and secure to home board . We would never put an animal in any danger let alone anyone elses we adore all animals i have had pets all of my adult life and even as a child.
And why is it that sheffield council boarding licence is more expensive than any other town ( ie sheffield £191 per year Hull £37 per year )
can anyone explain this to me.






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the reason they have licenses is so that establishments are run by proper guidelines, its not just about security, you basically are kennelling but indoors. you need to use certain cleaners to clean your house to reduce risk of parvo etc as an example. insurers will not pay any claim if they find out your not insured. there is a limit on how many dogs you can board which is assessed by how you can isolate animals if illness breaks out. basically is health and safety for canines, aswell as that you also get spot checked which is a way of them checking things are up to scratch without you knowing till they arrive much like food inspectors. i dont htink £191 is expensive when what you get is a lot of information about how to run a safe and well organised boarding and it also gives people who leave their pets with you peace of mind that you have been assessed as appropriate to keep animals there.
personally if your going to run a business ANY business its worth doing properly as £191 is nothing compared to massive bills which you could incur for something that may go wrong.

Be warned....the council read this board and the inspectors so they will know what you are doing unlicensed and WILL catch up with you. I know this as i was told by the inspector himself. annax

anna
I can understand it if i was running a kennel or boarding more than one dog at a time but i am not i only willing to board one dog at a time or two from the same family.
why then do you not need a licence to foster dogs or have your own dogs is it not the same. I cant see how it will give people peace of mind i always recomend people come and have a pre visit to see where their pet will be boarded if they are happy to leave there pet with me than i think that is good enough for me . I dont think paying someone to inspect your premises would give anyone peace of mind to how well you will look after their pet

anna

why then do you not need a licence to foster dogs or have your own dogs is it not the same. I

Because you are charging people to board their dogs in your home :)

nox2693
So if i did this for free i would not need a licence
dont you think thats wrong , the most important thing should be the care of the pet dont you think

nox2693
So if i did this for free i would not need a licence
dont you think thats wrong , the most important thing should be the care of the pet dont you think

Well surely if your charging money for people to board their dogs in your home you should need a license, otherwise everyone would do it! You would probably not get any insurance for dog home boarding if you weren't licenced for it. £191 is not much compared to the many hundreds, perhaps even thousands of pounds you would have to pay if anything happened to a dog/ to repair your house. People want official documents when they want to board their dogs for their own piece of mind and to make sure that you are covered by insurance.

I am not disputing the £191 payment i am just saying why is it a different price in other towns for the same service and that it does not assure you give a good caring service

nox2693
So if i did this for free i would not need a licence
dont you think thats wrong , the most important thing should be the care of the pet dont you think

Correct, Sheffield Cat Shelter don't need a license
We do.

We are inspected twice per year, every time the inspector comes they check our insurance, security, fire safety, employement details.

There is a loophole in that the legislation was not applied to small animals, I believe it should be!!

some towns dont charge anything, i suppose it comes down to administration costs etc. best to get sorted now though because licenses only run till dec no matter you apply. they take a little while to come through too. annax

There is a loophole in that the legislation was not applied to small animals, I believe it should be!!
i agree heavenlyarts, i know many on here have fab sets up for small animals but some arnt and i belive they should be monitored just like we are, i have no problem with been checked, infact it makes me secure in knowing im doing every aspect as best i can not just the care. annax

anna
thanks for information i have applied for license application pack as i know i will need license to get the relivent insurance i will need but i think council need to reveiw home boarding licenses

good luck. annax

how long does this take from paying fees to license been given assuming all is well with my setup

in my first year it took about a week to get the officer to review us and then about 2 weeks for the decision to be made and certificate to come, i was told on day though that they couldnt see a problem, legally you need to have your license on display before you can board, just get it handed in asap and theyll be as quick as poss, licenses are always renewed at xmas when i applied so i expect it takes longer then. yours may not be as long, youll get some great advice from them and alot of things you probably hadnt thought of which makes alot of sense. annax

you will also need to have a local vet on side too , sheffield council have hotted up there pocessduring the last fe years and it does take a while. You need to display the certificate they give you. They will also want you have have a separate area for dogs to the rabbits/ small animal runs, along with an isolation area for a poorly dog. The council don't give licences out if you have young children either.

I have a six year old boy what age would be classed as too young

dont quote me on this but im pretty sure its 5yrs and under. annax

One thing, the council decisions are based upon 'the opinion' of it's officers and are subject to challenge in the magistrates court.

An example is that there is no legal definition as to what wire mesh we need to use in the pens, suddenly the mesh we have had for years is no longer good enough.

All licensing is based upon a doccument called somthing like "Model License for animal boarding".

Anything not in ths document is a 'local interpretation or opinion'

Have a look here http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/?pgid=105039&fs=s

I think that one of the things that you all must realise is that when you do this you are classed as running a "buisness" as with all types of trade there are guidelimnes and conditions that you have to abide by.

There are lots of other things to take into consideration like bookeeping, declaring your earnings, possible change of use of your property (into a none domestic premiss), does it affect any morgage that you might have on your property Etc Etc Etc,

Like with all good idea,s you must look at ALL aspects of what you intend to do and comply with all the regulations that are thrown at you. Most home boarders charge a premium for their services, my home boarder charges £15 per night for my 2 dogs at £30 per day that £360, for my 12 days holiday, so it is quite a lucrative way of making some aditional income, and you are moaning about paying Just under £200 for a license, think yourself lucky that you arn,t applying for a Taxi Plate, quite a good way of making money but there are pitfalls. As with all things do it right or dont do it at all.