“As pet owners begin to see the benefits of using certified boarding care and start to demand more from providers, we expect the Pet Boarding Scheme will contribute towards helping raise service and quality of care standards across the industry.  This will ensure a more humane outcome for pets in care around the United Kingdom and provide owners with peace of mind their pets are being treated kindly and fairly.” said SAI Global’s Regional Director of Operation for EMEA Anne Scorey.

Across the agricultural industry, SAI Global supports a wide variety of businesses to improve their animal welfare standards.  The company has two successful pet welfare quality assurance schemes already operating in the United Kingdom: Grooming Gold Standard and Pet Retailer.

Two levels of certification are available under the new Pet Boarding Scheme; a basic quality assurance level and, for those going above and beyond in terms of service deliverables, a Gold Standard level. 

Businesses achieving certification earn the right to use SAI Global’s ‘five ticks’ standards mark which SAI Global owns.  Only clients certified by SAI Global may have the privilege to display one of these very highly regarded marks. The recognition in the marketplace gives our certified clients a cutting edge over competitors who are not certified by SAI Global.

From a reputational perspective, certification provides a business’s customers with confidence in the quality and safety of the service; when customers trust a company’s services, it helps secure their ongoing business sustainability.

In addition to the reputational benefits participating in SAI Global’s Pet Boarding Scheme provides, the certification auditing process is designed to further support pet boarding businesses by:

Demonstrating dedication to pet care to meet customer expectations for a caring, clean, safe and skilled service;

• Identifying opportunities to streamline internal operations, reducing time needed to perform activities, decreasing waste, reducing procurement costs and increasing productivity;
• Ensuring all legal and regulatory operational obligations are met;
• Identifying and mitigating risks and areas for possible improvement within the business,
• Improving quality and safety of services provided; both for pets and employees.

To earn certification, an annual audit of a pet boarding business is undertaken by a UKAS independently witnessed assessor.  The audit includes a mix of onsite observation, staff interviews and paperwork checks benchmarked against set requirements.

For more information about SAI Global’s Pet Boarding Scheme or to speak to an advisor, call 01908 249950.