Kent boarding kennels ends stray dog work with local authority

A Kent-based KareBear Kennels & Doggy Daycare is no longer able to board strays picked up by a local authority after new regulations came into force.

The company, which is located in Gillingham, Kent, is no longer able to help Swale Borough Council’s dog warden without having to “demolish” part of its existing business.

The business, run by Kelly and Billy Bleach, has previously taken in strays from across Sheppey, Sittingbourne, and Faversham.

In a statement, the company said: “Just thought I’d let everyone know we no longer have the Swale contract to take the stray dogs. Long story short, the kennels have to now be in line with the strict boarding regulations. The dogs all need to have outdoor runs as well as being indoors. To do this would mean that we’d have to demolish the whole block and restart as it’s all indoors at the moment.

“We just can’t afford this especially as the money we were getting from the council didn’t even cover the dogs that came in. We just did it because we love them and loved helping them.”

KareBear Kennels use to home dogs picked up by the council for seven days before they were either rehomed or taken to a rescue.

The company added: “The rescue block isn’t the prettiness of kennels but it’s somewhere safe and warm. They got the best food and care while they were here, a lot came indoors with us. We feel we had a very good working relationship with Swale council and it worked very well so it’s a massive shame.”

Swale Borough Council told Kent Online: “We’ve been made aware that we can no longer take stray dogs to our usual provider, and they will now be looked after at other local licensed facilities.

“The provider has assisted us, looking after and rehoming our stray dogs, and we want to thank them for their contribution. Although it’s unfortunate that they’ve withdrawn their services, we appreciate the reasons why, and wish them good luck for the future.”