DID YOU KNOW
In Texas, there is little or no regulation or oversight for businesses such as:
- Dog boarders
- Dog walkers
- Dog groomers
- Dog trainers
This means that these businesses, the owners, and the employees are not required to be educated, trained, or licensed to do any of these jobs. The state does not have any oversight for these businesses.
In comparison, here’s a short list of other professions that require a license in Texas:
- Auctioneers
- Interior designers
- High school sports coaches
- Salvage vehicle dealers
- Barbers, including manicurists, hair weavers, hair braiders
- Cosmetology, for eyelash extensions and manicures
- And many more (see them all at Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation)
Did you know that a person can open a dog care business without any experience, training, or licensing requirements?
There is no way of verifying if the person caring for your dog has the skills to do so. In addition, you have no way to verify if they have been reported for violations or other issues. Anyone can simply wake up one morning and decide to start a dog care business.
Did you know that the business owners and their employees are not required to pass a basic background check?
This means that the person caring for your dog while you are out of town for work could have a criminal background. They could have prior charges of assault, animal cruelty, or just about anything else. They are not required to tell you and you likely have no way of finding out before you trust them with your dog.
Did you know that the employees at these businesses are not required to receive any training?
Many times, walking dogs or working at a doggy daycare is a lower paying job. Despite what the business might tell you, not all of their employees are “dog lovers”. Some simply took whatever job they could get and they will be responsible for watching over, feeding, providing water for, and in some cases medicating your dogs.
Did you know that if something happens to your dog while under the care of one of these businesses, there is no licensing agency that you can report them to?
If a dog care business injures or kills your dog, there is no state department or office that you can report them to. Your dog is dead, injured, or missing and the business keeps operating as if nothing happened. Sadly, we have heard of many stories where the same businesses kept harming or killing dogs but continued to operate for years, sometimes just changing the company name. With proper regulation, this wouldn’t be possible and these businesses wouldn’t be able to keep hurting dogs and dog families.