The Good Kennel Guide is calling on the Government to support kennels and catteries before they are forced out of business.
“With foreign travel uncertainty continuing to wipe out this holiday season, we anticipate that the licensed animal boarding industry could be decimated, with more than 80% of businesses in some areas closing by February 2022,” said guide founder Sarah Harrison.
“Early indications are that people will not travel at all this year or will stay in the UK, taking their beloved pet with them. With a huge increase in pet ownership during lockdown, many new pet owners will be wondering what to do with their pet when normality returns.”
Since The Good Kennel Guide’s report on the hidden kennel closure crisis was first published in March, some councils have provided limited support to kennels and catteries but many are still holding out.
RESEARCH
Sarah said: “Our new research shows that many of the councils refusing to pay out are in UK staycation hotspots such as Devon, Dorset and Cornwall so, while many UK businesses (and councils) hope to make up for their pandemic losses through UK staycations, those dependent on foreign travel, such as licensed kennels and catteries, are left wondering how much longer they can cling on.”
Research by thegoodkennelguide.co.uk found that more than 70% of licensed kennels and catteries have been trading for more than 10 years, with many of them being handed down from generation to generation over 20 years or more.
“This represents a huge wealth of experience that cannot be easily replaced but continues to be undervalued,” Sarah added. “Many of these businesses are very small and are family run, which seems to be the primary factor in them being left out while big industry is propped up by the government. A sad fact is that due to the nature of this business, many of these families stand to lose their home as well as their business.”
DEVASTATING
One business owner said: “We are aware of six kennels and catteries that have closed within a 10-mile radius of our business – devastating!”
Many other business owners stated that they were ‘suffering severely with mental health issues caused by the stress and lack of support they had received throughout the pandemic’ and many reported that they had already had to make redundancies or close entirely.
Sarah said: “We are calling on Government and local authorities to support our hardworking, experienced, licensed boarding kennels and catteries now.
“So many of these small family businesses are closing their doors permanently every day. Supporting our small UK family businesses that depend on foreign travel now will avoid an animal welfare emergency in our future recovery from the covid-19 pandemic caused by animals being dumped, neglected and sent to rescue centres and prevent a surge in unlicensed, illegal boarding.”
