Dacorum’s Animal Welfare Work is Platinum Standard

Dacorum Borough Council has achieved the platinum standard in the annual RSPCA PawPrints awards. This award is the highest level of recognition that can be achieved by a public service organisation or local authority for its work in animal welfare. It is awarded to organisations that have achieved Gold PawPrints status for five or more consecutive years.

Both the Environmental Community Protection Animal Welfare service and the Housing teams have been recognised for good practice, exceeding basic and statutory service requirements with the aim of achieving higher animal welfare standards.

Since 2008, the RSPCA’s PawPrints Awards has been the only scheme recognising good practice from local authorities in relation to animal welfare.

The teams excelled in two areas:

Stray Dogs Footprint

The main aim of this footprint is to set a level of good practice for stray dog provision by acknowledging local authority services that have mechanisms and policies to ensure dog welfare, provide staff training, and promote responsible dog ownership. It also aims to encourage local authorities to look at this important and often undervalued service and address any resource and service issues that may help them to meet the footprint criteria in the future.

Cllr Robin Bromham, Dacorum Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Operations, said: ‘We’re thrilled to be awarded the prestigious platinum standard in the annual RSPCA PawPrints awards for our exceptional work in the Stray Dogs Footprint category. This recognition reflects our commitment to ensuring the welfare of stray dogs in our community and our dedication to responsible dog ownership. We are proud to set a high standard for animal welfare practices.’

Housing Footprint

This footprint recognises housing providers who take positive steps to encourage and ensure responsible pet ownership in the properties they manage, and to recognise others that are doing so.

In addition, the footprint aims to encourage a considered pets-in-housing policy that is not simply a ‘knee-jerk’ response to problems that have arisen through a weak pet policy or tensions created by an anti-social minority.

Cllr Simy Dhyani, Dacorum Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Housing and Property Services, said: ‘We are delighted to announce that Dacorum Borough Council has achieved the platinum standard in the RSPCA PawPrints awards, this time for our outstanding efforts in the Housing Footprint category. Our commitment to promoting responsible pet ownership within the properties we manage is unwavering. We aim to create a community that values and respects the well-being of pets and their owners, and this award is a testament to our ongoing dedication to this cause.’

The Council has an Animal Welfare team who can assist with concerns regarding the neglect or abuse of any animal, including dogs, cats, horses, small household pets, exotics, and wildlife. Any such concerns can be reported directly to the team by emailing animalwelfare@dacorum.gov.uk or calling 01442 228455.