Running a kennels

[Jazzie]

I would be very interested to know whether any one has opened a kennels, I have read some previous posts regarding regulations which sound very strict. I would be grateful for any information or advice on the subject. 

[Cerise]

Hi Jazzie

I ran boarding kennels in UK for a number of years.  I don't know much about the regulations in France, but they are very strict in UK and getting stricter all the time.  If you have never run kennels I'd be more than happy to share my experiences with you. 

I would say, that it is a very difficult way to earn money as it is 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and most people want to leave their dogs during the holiday periods.  Dogs have to be cared for every day - you can't get up late on Sundays or give it a miss on Xmas day!

In the UK at least - and probably here - the licencing conditions state that there must be a competent adult on the premises at all times, so unless you can afford a lot of staff you are very tied.  Building new kennels also means you must comply with all the licencing regulations immediately.  if you take over existing kennels which are not up to scratch you may not be allowed to open until they are, or have only a short period to do all the work.  In France it is also possible that you may need qualifications (not sure about that, but they do exist).

If you want more info, please feel free to get in touch.

Best wishes

Maggi

[Paul Conroy<b>Cha Cha Cha.<b>]

Read with great interest your post on running kennels in France. I too have had experience working in kennels in England and am looking at the possibility of running/owning kennels in France. Does anyone know where one would obtain appropriate licencing conditions and regulations for setting up and running kennels in France?

[Ash]

I have also ran kennels in the UK for a number of years, so when we arrived here, it seemed a good idea to include this service as well as our Chambre d'Hote.

We advertised this very well and living in an area which has many English who, either own houses for holidays or live here permanently, thinking we should get a good response.

After at least one and half years, although we have had many enquiries for our Chambre d'Hote  we have not had one enquiry for the Kennels or Cattery.

So, you must ask yourself, are you going to offer this purely for British residents, as from our experience very few French will use a kennels. Also many British can usually find others, either ex-pats or friends, who will care for their dogs if they go away. This will leave you with fewer clients than you would expect back in the UK.

BTW we have recently seen and heard of three families in our area, who have recently moved to live here permanently in France, and they all are  going to run kennels/catteries. No other visible source of income, so they will need to register themselves as businesses plus all the cotisations relating to this move and this will make quite a dent in the profits, if any.

It seems that now people coming here to live, are either going to set up at B&B or kennels. Gites now being very passé.

 

 

 

[Will]

In France, there is seldom a standard answer to questions like that, as rules and guidelines are applied differently according to area. So do ask at the local mairie (town hall).

There are users of this forum who run kennels, but I can understand that they may be a little reluctant to pass on too much of the knowledge that they worked very hard to gain when establishing their businesses - particularly when, as Ash says, there are so many would-be competitors wanting a slice of their livelihood.

It will almost certainly be necessary to register the kennels as a business in France, getting a Siret number and paying taxes and social charges, while in most areas it seems to be necesary to obtain approval and/or a licence from the local council. In many, if not all, cases, a basic veterinary certificate or qualification is needed.

[Penny29]

Hi,

If you do an advanced search under my user name or using keywords such as "cattery" & "kennels" you will find plenty of information as I have posted and replied on this subject (mainly in the pets forum) within the last 12 months.

Here are two websites which give details of the criteria you need to meet qualificationwise to set up a kennels or cattery.

http://perso.club-internet.fr/denac/Denac/CertificatCapacite-01.htm

http://www.sfcyno.org/faq-sfc-6-La.html+loi+les+chiens+et+vous

What neither of these websites will tell you is the other conditions you must meet as regards the minimum permissable distance your animal buildings must be from the nearest other inhabited property  - these distances vary according to the number of potential animals you intend to house. I can't now remember the name of the official department which lays down these rules but may have mentioned it on one of my other postings on the subject - but I do remember they have the authority to say no to any project, can over-ride any permissions given by the Maire & in most cases won't say yes or no until AFTER you have gone to the time and expense of building your kennels! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#62

[Jazzie]

Thank you to those who took the time to reply, please excuse my late response I have been away for a couple of weeks. It would appear to be a very long process needing previous kennel experience of three years, taking qualifications in french, with no guarantee at the end that permission will be granted by the powers that be. Possibly after the kennels have been built. I realise that some members may not want to discuss these formalities as they fear competition but I just cannot believe that this procedure has been followed through in all cases. I have been looking for kennel advertising to see what people are claiming, licences etc but I don't seem to be able to find any from the usual sources.