Fantastic News For Pet Lovers In Horsham District

Wednesday, 12 March 2025 15:28

By Dominic Kureen @WriteOnDom

Horsham District Council is one of the first councils to adopt a new environmental health rating scheme for local businesses associated with the care and sale of animals.

The one to five-star rating system is part of new regulations aimed at protecting the welfare of animals and providing a more informed choice about animal establishments and service providers for owners and customers.

Businesses and individuals affected by the new regulations will be those involved in dog and cat boarding, dog breeding, the selling of animals as pets, and the hiring out of horses for riding or for riding lessons.

Anyone involved in the keeping or training of animals for exhibition also needs to register with Horsham District Council under the new scheme.

In 2018 the Government introduced licensing regulations, and a star rating scheme for animal establishments. These included breeders, kennels, dog sitters, catteries, horses and exhibition animals.

The Council will host a launch event for the new scheme at its offices in Horsham on 14 March by introducing a new animal licence tool called Paws on the Doors.

This online tool enables animal licence holders, and people looking for animal services, to easily list themselves or search for top-rated service providers in the Horsham District.

The new Paws on the Doors website enables pet lovers to make informed decisions when selecting kennels, pet boarding and a whole host of other pet services.

Rather than rely on word of mouth, the new website helps consumers to search across council boundaries, check that operators are legitimately licensed and find out what star rating they have.

The information on the Paws on the Doors website is provided directly from the Environmental Health & Licensing departments in local councils and is presented in an easy to navigate website: www.animal-licensing.uk

Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Waste Cllr Jay Mercer commented:

“As a council we are delighted to be one of the first early adopters of this simple to use yet powerful scheme, and that we are partnering with Paws on the Doors and can tap into their expertise in this field.

“I have no doubt that Paws on the Doors will not only improve animal welfare by improving consumer choice, but also promote local businesses who work hard to keep their animal welfare standards high.”