Doggy daycare centres urged to sign up to SPCA certification programme to ‘raise the bar’

The Grooming Lounge & Daycare owner Rebekah Thompson is the first doggy daycare centre to become certified by the SPCA. Photo / Michael Cunningham

New Zealand’s one and only SPCA-certified doggy daycare in Whangārei is urging other daycare centres to sign up so owners can start to “expect the best” for their pets.

The Grooming Lounge & Daycare is the first doggy daycare to join the SPCA-certified programme, which lets dog owners know of businesses willing to be independently audited to maintain high animal welfare standards.

Owner Rebekah Thompson said she signed up after a futile attempt to find daycare standards and guidelines when starting her business in 2020.

“There’s no guidelines or certification for doggy daycares, it’s completely unregulated as an industry.

“I hope the programme takes off.

“It could be a good shift in the industry to educate owners to expect better for their pets.

“That’s what we should be doing as professionals, expecting the best.”

Currently in New Zealand, anyone can set up a doggy daycare facility with no minimum experience or qualifications.

SPCA developed a set of voluntary standards so businesses could raise the bar and help pet owners choose centres that put animal welfare first.

It costs $800 a year to get certified and businesses get audited twice a year. One of the visits is scheduled and the other is unscheduled.

“I went with it to show my customers I have nothing to hide, and that a third party is validating what we’re doing,” Thompson said.

“It’s important to me we’re super transparent with all our owners that come through here to show them we get audited and checked.

“These dogs are these peoples’ world and fair enough too.

“They want to make sure where they’re going they’ll be treated well.”

Ideally, daycares should provide safe, stimulating environments with scheduled rest and play times.

They should have trained staff, high levels of supervision, and behavioural assessments for dogs on arrival.

Currently in New Zealand anyone can set up a doggy daycare facility with no minimum experience or qualification requirements.

But there have been many incidents of injuries and even deaths, including in 2017 when an unsupervised dog was mauled to death, and in 2018 when a dog died of heatstroke, at separate facilities in Auckland.

SPCA Scientific Officer Dr Alison Vaughan said though doggy daycare was an unregulated industry, operators must still comply with the Animal Welfare Act.

“SPCA inspectors have seen the consequences of poor regulation of doggy daycares in New Zealand; dogs being injured or dying.

“People assume there is some kind of licensing or oversight, and there isn’t.”

Certification criteria include a maximum number of dogs, 1.8m high perimeter fences, monitoring noise levels, and first aid kits for humans and pets on site.

Scheduled periods of activities and rest are required, along with a written plan of how to break up a dog fight.

Vaughan said the certification programme launched in 2020 but coincided with Covid-19 which impacted daycare centres as people switched to remote working.

Though only Thompson’s centre is currently certified, the SPCA is engaging with many others, she said.

The fees go back into the programme, which includes paying for the audits.

SPCA Scientific Officer Dr Alison Vaughan encouraged dog owners to "do their research" and ask questions of their local daycare centre.

“It’s been a difficult time for many businesses with the impact of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis.

“But this has been done because it’s the right thing to do.

“We want to be doing more than policing the bottom of the cliff.

“We want to be recognising and encouraging businesses to give dogs a great experience and pet owners peace of mind.”

Vaughan encouraged dog owners to “do their research” and ask questions of their local daycare centre.

The main problems are lack of supervision and staff lacking knowledge, she said.

“There should be a minimum staff-to-dog ratio.

“You could have a place that has 60 dogs with one or two people trying to manage them. For some dogs that’s an overwhelming environment.

“Staff that have experience will recognise when a dog isn’t coping.”

What to look for in a good doggy daycare centre:

• Check the staff-to-dog ratio: It should be a minimum of 1 worker for 15 dogs.
• Ask if dogs must be vaccinated to attend daycare: They should be.
• Ask about emergency protocols: What if there’s a dog fight or a dog escapes?
• Check staff experience: Staff should be knowledgeable about canine behaviour and at least one should have a pet first aid certificate.
• The SPCA is happy to talk to doggy daycare centres about getting certified. Email certified@spca.nz