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INDUSTRY AND RSPCA-BACKED CAMPAIGN CALLS FOR MANDATORY FIRST AID QUALIFICATIONS FOR ALL UK PET PROFESSIONALS

Industry experts are calling for mandatory first aid qualifications for all UK pet professionals.

Currently the likes of dog walkers, dog groomers and pet sitters do not have to carry an animal first aid certificate, leaving them and the pets they care for vulnerable.

The Safe Pets and People campaign’s aim is to highlight the fact that currently, people caring for your pet in a professional capacity do not have to hold a first aid qualification, and urge the government to make the courses mandatory.

Endorsed by the RSPCA, The Groomers Spotlight and Street Paws, the campaign is led by national qualification provider the iPET Network, which has launched a training payback scheme to help people make their businesses safer.

RSPCA head vet Jocelyn Toner said:

ā€œWe advise that all professional dog walkers should have first aid training and weā€™d be supportive of any campaign to roll this out to include all individuals who work within the pet industry.

ā€œSimple first aid skills could save a petā€™s life or ensure an animal receives immediate care before theyā€™re able to see a vet and we think itā€™s a wonderful idea that the Safe Pets and People Campaign wants all pet professionals – from groomers to breeders – to have basic first aid training.ā€

There are many competent pet first aid courses out there, and campaigners say that it doesn’t matter which course learners choose, as long as they get the knowledge they need to act quickly in an emergency.

Sarah Mackay and Fern Gresty of iPET Network, said:

“We have worked as pet professionals for a long time, and regulation is an issue which constantly comes up.

“In the broader sense, this is the reason why we started iPET Network, which offers Ofqual regulated qualifications for dog groomers and other pet professionals.

“First aid is not an expensive course, and it doesn’t have to be an iPET Network course that you do, we are not saying that and this isn’t about selling our courses or making money.

“We are doing this because time and again we hear stories from our industries where something should have been done sooner, which really isn’t good enough when people place their pets in your care.

“We think that people will be surprised to learn that pet professionals don’t currently have to have first aid training, and we are so pleased that organisations like the RSPCA are getting behind us.”

They added: “First aid training doesn’t have to just be for pet professionals too. All dog owners would benefit from the confidence boosting knowledge that knowing what to do in an emergency gives.”

Rachel Bean RVN and canine first aid course creator: “When we send our dogs to visit a professional, we are putting our trust in the staff that work there.

“Businesses are risking damage to their reputations, injuries and unwanted pressure by not stepping up, and leveling up their skills.

“I am so excited that the Safe Pets and People campaign is making this stand and campaigning for change. And I hope that others will join me in supporting this brilliant cause.”


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