Sharren Redmond, owner of Petpals Sefton, with her dog, Lucy
Petpals franchise owners across the UK are completing the Ofqual Level 3 Professional Daycare and Boarding course.
This new qualification will enable them to achieve the Higher Standard in the Animal Activity Licensing Regulations, updated by DEFRA in 2018.
Licensing now requires that to meet the Higher Standard, a member of staff with a relevant Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, OFQUAL, regulated Level 3 qualification must be present during the working day at the day care or boarding establishment.
Petpals Buxton, Sefton, Leeds North, Hendon and Darlington West are now fully qualified and a further 15 franchise owners are currently taking the course and will qualify soon.
KNOWLEDGE
Sharren Redmond, who started up her Sefton Petpals business last November, said: “What a great course; I feel so much more confident and professional in running my Petpals business now. It was a huge amount of work requiring large amounts of research, reading and writing but I loved it and am so glad I am now qualified to the Higher Standard for the benefit of my clients and their dogs. I will, of course, be sharing my new knowledge, passing on the relevant information to my team so we can all benefit from the course.”
Kevin Thackrah, MD of Petpals, said: “As an industry we are overrun with people starting up dog walking and dog boarding businesses on a whim, with no previous experience or qualifications, and we embrace and welcome any and all efforts to raise the standards in our industry. Even before the new regulations, all of our franchises were, and always have been, CRB-checked, insured and have taken a dog handling skills and pet first aid course.”
Petpals UK provides mobile pet care for animals ranging from dogs and cats to small pets such as rabbits, gerbils, birds and exotics.
