“SB 945 guarantees a minimum standard of care for all pet boarding facilities in California, as well as establishes consumer protections for patrons,” Senator Monning said. “To many Californians, their pets are like family members and it may come as a surprise to many pet boarding facility patrons that these facilities currently have no health and safety standards. I am aware of tragedies at pet boarding facilities in my district and this bill seeks to prevent these tragedies by ensuring that a basic level of care is provided for pets.”
In California, there have been instances where pets were injured or died in a boarding facility, including a recent incident in Monterey where 15 dogs died due to a fire in the facility.
The standards established in SB 945 include:
- Animals must have adequate space in their housing to move about freely;
- Pet enclosures must be in good repair;
- Routine care, preventive care, emergency care, disease control and prevention, along with veterinary treatment of pets be provided; and
- The facility operator must maintain either a fire alarm system that reports to the local fire department or a sprinkler system.
SB 945 now goes to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations for a hearing.
Source: Senator Bill Monning