With council budgets under strain, many licensing teams face the challenge of enforcing high welfare standards without the resources required to monitor every breeder closely.
Consistency has been a significant issue among MLB members, as highlighted in our recent survey results. This is where digitalisation steps in.
The Digital PawPrint provides licensing officers with early indicators that may compromise compliance with regulations, enabling them to identify potential issues before they escalate. This powerful, accessible tool simplifies compliance monitoring, helps prevent welfare breaches, and offers real-time alerts for Key Performace Indicators, ensuring that high welfare standards are maintained across the board.
Recent problems faced by councils in late 2024
Case Study 1: Chesterfield Council’s Timely Intervention
The case of Catherine Clark in Chesterfield illustrates the importance of early intervention. Despite regulations that require breeders to allow dogs a minimum 12-month recovery period between litters, Clark allowed her German Shorthaired Pointer to have a litter every seven months. With Digital PawPrint in place, Chesterfield officers could have detected Clark’s non-compliance sooner.
Regulations specify that breeders should inform their authority once a litter of puppies has been whelped.
The Digital PawPrint’s compliance score system monitors key activities such as breeding frequency, housing conditions, and record updates. When a breeder’s compliance score drops, local authorities are notified, enabling swift follow-up. In this case, a drop in Clark’s score would have triggered an alert, prompting officers to investigate earlier, potentially preventing repeated violations.
Case Study 2: Cornwall Council’s Response to Poor Conditions
In Cornwall, three breeders were found keeping over 60 dogs in cramped, dirty outbuildings, failing to meet even basic welfare needs. Although the council issued improvement notices, conditions did not improve, and over 200 litters had been sold in just a few years. This situation underscores the need for a tool that offers continuous monitoring and transparent records for officers to access in real-time.
With The Digital PawPrint, facility inspection results and compliance records are updated regularly. If a breeder repeatedly fails to meet conditions, officers are alerted when the compliance score dips, allowing them to act quickly before conditions worsen. In Cornwall’s case, this software could have flagged the breeders’ non-compliance earlier, allowing the council to prevent multiple litters from being bred in these poor conditions.
Key Benefits of The Digital PawPrint for Licensing Officers
Real-Time Compliance Monitoring
Digital PawPrint’s compliance score system continuously monitors essential breeder activities. Each breeder is required to update information on breeding, housing, and animal care. If any updates are missed or conditions worsen, the compliance score reflects this, triggering alerts for licensing officers. This system addresses the common issue of information gaps, making it difficult for breeders to hide non-compliance.
Free Access for Councils
Budget cuts are a significant challenge for many councils, and Digital PawPrint is mindful of these constraints. Access to the platform is entirely free for local authorities, making it a financially viable solution. With no cost to councils, Digital PawPrint empowers licensing teams to maintain high standards of oversight without additional financial burden.
Affordable Membership for Breeders
For breeders, Digital PawPrint is available at a low-cost membership of £11.99 per month. This fee includes the use of all features, including compliance monitoring, record-keeping, and automated alerts. The affordable pricing model helps ensure wide adoption among breeders, facilitating a high level of compliance across the industry and making it easier for councils to oversee welfare standards.
Proactive Alerts for Quick Action
When a breeder’s compliance score drops, licensing officers receive immediate notifications. This proactive approach allows officers to intervene early, saving time and resources on reactive enforcement actions. The system’s automated alerts address cases like those in Chesterfield and Cornwall, where timely intervention could have prevented further non-compliance and safeguarded animal welfare.
Streamlined Record-Keeping and Inspections
With The Digital PawPrint, licensing officers have access to breeder records, inspection results, and compliance histories in one place. This streamlined record-keeping system makes inspections more efficient and helps officers focus on high-priority cases. Additionally, it reduces the administrative burden of manually tracking records, allowing officers to allocate more time to on-site inspections and investigations.
Commending Chesterfield and Cornwall Councils
Both Chesterfield and Cornwall Councils demonstrated their commitment to animal welfare by investigating and addressing serious breaches. Despite limited resources, they acted decisively, setting a strong example for other authorities.
The Digital PawPrint’s digital oversight tools would bolster their efforts, making investigations quicker, reducing administrative workload, and ensuring consistent compliance.
For licensing officers, Digital PawPrint is more than just software; it’s a critical resource for proactive oversight and safeguarding animal welfare.
By automating alerts, standardising records for consistancy, and providing real-time compliance monitoring, the platform addresses many challenges that officers face in today’s financial climate. With Digital PawPrint, councils can protect animals more effectively, ensuring a safer, more transparent breeding industry, at no cost to the local authorities.
Resources:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czj903wpxyxo
https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/courts/chesterfield-dog-breeder-forced-to-pay-more-than-ps10000-after-pleading-guilty-to-overbreeding-her-dog-4836741
