Authorities introduce minimum standards for pet groomers, pet sitters, pet boarding establishments

Government authorities on Friday launched the publication of new legislation for pet groomers, pet sitters, and pet boarders.

This legislation has expanded upon existing regulations, has introduced minimum standards for some previously unregulated areas within this sector, and is also introducing registration and compliance measures.

This long-awaited legislation was announced in a press conference on Friday by the Minister for Animal Rights Anton Refalo, the Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Rights, Alicia Bugeja Said, and the Director of the Animal Welfare Directorate, Joseph John Vella.

Minister Refalo said that after the public consultation process, it became clear that “we had a jungle and had to introduce sets of regulations.” The minister said he was content that “these regulations make sense for all parties involved.”

All new regulations from Friday’s announcement will come into force in two months’ time.

Failure to abide by the new requirements will be punished via administrative penalties. Authorities will ensure that operators abide by these new obligations through inspections. First-time offenders will have the option to pay a fine and “avoid the hassle provided in going to court.”

These new sets of legislation pertain to the existing establishments of this sector; new legislations on professions, e.g., breeders and trainers, are currently underway. These other legislations are still underway as policymakers are currently fulfilling the local legislative process while seeing that their proposals are aligning with what is also being proposed by the European Commission on this subject. 

Minimum standards for pet grooming establishments

During this press conference, it was said that these new regulations will finally ensure that animal welfare is safeguarded within this sector across Malta and Gozo. Pet grooming establishments are currently unregulated, though this will finally change once these regulations come into effect.

Any persons currently operating a pet grooming establishment have two months to register themselves with the Animal Welfare Directorate, beginning as of Friday. This registration is to be renewed annually and a list of all registered grooming establishments will be published by the Animal Welfare Directorate.

Grooming establishments will then have a transitional period of one year to conform to all requirements. If a grooming establishment is first found without a license, they will be subject to a €1,000 fine.

Representatives of the Animal Welfare Directorate informed journalists that since no establishments were previously obliged to register with authorities to work, they currently have “no idea” how many total establishments exist across the Maltese islands today – they only know that there are “dozens of them.”

These registered establishments must be operated by qualified personnel, their staff must all have a clean conduct in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act, and at least one member of staff must be certified in Animal First Aid. They will also be obliged to have “an appropriate animal health control programme.” The precise details on these will be established at a future date.

“Proper record keeping” of information that shall be kept for a minimum of one year is also being introduced as a requirement for these grooming establishments.

Other minimum requirements include having a place suitable for “emergency precautions,” CCTV cameras with a retention period of 10 days, details of animal enclosures in line with the Keeping of Dogs regulations, and a list of detailed obligatory animal equipment that will later be specified by the Government Gazette. 

Standards for pet sitting and pet boarding accommodations

This legislative reform pertains to pet sitting and pet boarding accommodations for cats and dogs.

To avoid any future confusion, the authorities have defined pet sitting as “the accommodation of four animals at once for a period of not more than two weeks” and pet boarding as “the accommodation of five animals or more at once.” Pet sitting was said to include day carers and dog walkers, even if the service does not include an overnight stay.

This new legislation will also introduce the registration of pet sitting accommodations, while retaining the licensing of pet boarding establishments. Anyone already operating as either a pet boarder or pet sitter must apply with the Directorate within six months of this date and will be then given a full year to conform to all obligations. Similar to pet grooming establishments, the Animal Welfare Directorate will publish a full list of those who have successfully registered.

Pet sitting accommodations must pay €400 for their first registration and a subsequent €100 for future renewals.

Pet boarding accommodations will be subject to an initial registration fee of €800. License renewal is to cost €200 if the respective establishment is holding 10 animals or less and €400 if they are holding more than 10 animals.

These establishments will also be subject to minimum standards. These include having qualified personnel, having at least one staff member certified with Animal First Aid, record keeping for a minimum of two years, ensuring that all kept animals are vaccinated, and that all animals must be under “constant supervision and inspected at least every four hours.”

These accommodations will also be obliged to abide by the following minimum requirements: they must have available facilities to isolate injured and/or ill animals, they must be covered by the animal health programme, animal enclosures must be in line with the Keeping of Dogs regulations, and they must have a suitable place for emergency precautions. Boarding establishments must also have CCTV cameras.

Further standards on accommodations specifications and their density will also be published in the Government Gazette. 

Further comments

Addressing comments that this legislation should have been concluded sooner, Refalo stated that he wanted to ensure that the final product to this legislative process was robust and would not lead to future issues that could be avoided, such as through difficulties in interpreting the new requirements.

“I would rather take a bit longer to come up with a strong law than get this process over with through a lacklustre one,” Minister Refalo said.

Minister Refalo also stated that whoever is found guilty by the Courts of breaking animal welfare law will be barred from working in this sector altogether. He also added registrations and licensing will be safeguarding third-party’s civil rights.

Parliamentary Secretary Bugeja Said said that this legislation should give pet owners some peace of mind while providing recognition to pet groomers, pet sitters, and pet boarding establishments.

Animal Welfare Director Joseph John Vella highlighted the importance of pet groomers and pet sitters/boarders. For the latter, he described that these establishments and people are important in safeguarding animals’ wellbeing when their owners go abroad. Referencing pet groomers, Vella remarked that they are essential to ensuring good health in pets as they often help mitigate illnesses by identifying physical issues which can lead to future vet consultations for treatment.

“In terms of strategy for the fair treatment of animals, we are making an important stride,” Vella said.

This set of new animal welfare legislation was concluded after 137 suggestions were received during the public consultation process.