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In 2007 a new act came into force in the UK concerned with
safeguarding the welfare of pets. Findafurry does not own
or sell the animals on our site - we offer a place to advertise
animals needing new homes - therefore the act does not apply
to us directly. However we offer the following advice*
to our members and those who rehome an animal via our site...
As long as you look after your pet well you should
be fine, you'll probably find most things in the act you are doing well anyhow. In particular the Animal Welfare Act requires everyone
looking after an animal to have a 'duty of care', which means
that they should:
- Give the animal a suitable place to live
- Feed them a suitable diet
- Allow them to exhibit normal behaviour
- House them with, or apart from, other animals depending
on their needs
- Protect them from pain, suffering and disease
In essence, you should ensure they are happy and healthy!
If you would like to check out the act in more detail, take
a look at the fairly easy-to-understand DEFRA website here
(or, the considerably less easy-to-read sites for variations
for Wales here,
for Scotland
here and for Northern Ireland
here) ·
There will be 'secondary' legislation that will apply to
pet shops and rescue centres - however this hasn't been brought
into force yet and is still under consultation. If you would
like more information then look
here.
The Animal Welfare Act does not require anything extra from
individuals who sell or rehome their animals - beyond
the over-arching requirements around a duty of care (the bullets
above). Therefore individuals who use Findafurry to rehome
animals do not need to worry about a license. It is now against
the law to rehome an animal to anyone under 16 though - so
make sure you always speak to a parent or guardian.
If you are a business selling animals, you do need a license
- but please remember, Findafurry does not accept adverts from people who
are making profit from animals.
If you are a rescue centre you do not currently need a license,
but you should keep an eye on the DEFRA site (or associated
sites for the other UK countries) to make sure you can contribute
to any consultations concerning changes to this.
This advice was last updated 24th July 2008
* As the Findafurry team are not lawyers
this is advice only, based on our understanding of the act
- we cannot take responsibility for any misinterpretation
or problems arising as a result! If in doubt, please consult
DEFRA.
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