The new law regulating pet groomers, sitters and boarders was announced by the government on Friday.
The new rules set minimum standards in previously unregulated areas within the sector, while introducing registration and compliance measures, and will come into effect in two months.
The new law was announced by Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo, and Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Rights Alicia Bugeja Said.
The long overdue legislation comes years after Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina called for the rules to be introduced by the government. Just last year the body of a lifeless dog was found on the edge of the Għarb cliffs in Gozo, whose owners say the three-year-old German Shepard was in the care of a pet-sitter.
Addressing the press on Friday, Refalo said that a public consultation revealed that the country has a “forest” in the sector, and that measures need to be introduced.
He said, failure to comply with the regulations will see the issuance of administrative penalties, where authorities conduct inspections of facilities. Refalo said first-time offenders will have the option to pay the fine, and “avoid the hassle of going to court.”
These new sets of laws refer to the existing establishments of this sector; new laws on professions, for example, breeders and trainers, are currently underway. These other laws are still being implemented as policy makers are currently going through the local legislative process while seeing that their proposals are in line with what the European Commission has also proposed on this subject.
Pet grooming establishments
According to the new rules announced on Friday, an establishment offering pet grooming services has two months to register themselves from now. They will also have a transitional period of one year to comply with the new rules, with an establishment being fined €1,000 if found to be operating without a licence.
Representatives of the Animal Welfare Directorate informed journalists that since establishments are not required to register with the authorities, they currently have “no idea” how many exist on the Maltese islands today, although they estimate there are “dozens these.”
These registered establishments must be managed by qualified personnel, and all staff must have a clean record of conduct in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act. At least one staff member must be certified in Animal First Aid. Additionally, they will be required to have “an appropriate animal health control program.” The specifics of these requirements will be established at a later date.
A requirement for “proper record keeping” of information, to be maintained for at least one year, was also introduced for these repair establishments.
Other minimum requirements include having an area suitable for “emergency precautions,” CCTV cameras with a retention period of 10 days, details of animal enclosures conforming to the Regulations on Maintenance of Dogs, and a list of mandatory animal equipment to be specified later by the Government Gazette.
Pet sitting and boarding
This legislative reform addresses pet sitting and pet boarding accommodations for cats and dogs.
To avoid confusion, authorities define pet sitting as “the accommodation of up to four animals at a time for no more than two weeks,” and pet boarding as “the accommodation of five or more animals at once.” Pet sitting includes day care and dog walkers, though no overnight stays.
The new law will introduce the registration of pet sitting accommodations while maintaining the licensing of pet boarding establishments. Those already operating as pet boarders or pet sitters must apply to the Directorate within six months and will have a full year to comply with all obligations. As with pet grooming establishments, the Animal Welfare Directorate will publish a list of those successfully registered.
Pet-sitting accommodations must pay €400 for initial registration and €100 for renewals.
Pet boarding accommodations will incur an initial registration fee of €800. License renewal costs €200 for establishments with 10 or fewer animals and €400 for those with more than 10 animals.
These establishments must meet minimum standards, including having qualified personnel, at least one staff member certified in Animal First Aid, keeping records for at least two years, ensuring that all animals are vaccinated, and maintaining constant supervision with inspections at least every four hours.
These facilities must also have facilities to isolate injured or sick animals, be covered by an animal health program, have enclosures that comply with Keeping Dogs regulations, and have appropriate – emergency precautions. Boarding establishments should also have CCTV cameras.
Additional standards on residential specifications and density will be published in the Government Gazette.