Pet boarding facilities have little oversight in NY state
There is no statewide licensing or inspection system specifically governing pet boarding facilities
Pet boarding facilities and doggy day cares across New York state operate with little statewide oversight, News 12 has found. That leaves regulation largely up to individual municipalities and gives pet owners few ways to verify a facility’s safety record.
There is no statewide licensing or inspection system specifically governing pet boarding facilities. Instead, local governments are responsible for regulating the businesses, creating a patchwork of rules — and, in some communities, few requirements at all.
That lack of oversight is now drawing attention after a Long Island family’s nearly 4-year-old German shepherd, Jet, died while staying at a pet boarding facility.
Lisa and Richard Gouldsbury said they believed Jet was being left in a regulated environment when they brought her to the Pawdorf.
“I didn't understand until this tragedy happened,” Lisa Gouldsbury said.
Richard Gouldsbury said the family was unaware of how little oversight exists.
“We had no idea,” he said.
In the Town of Hempstead, where Jet died, the only requirement for boarding more than three dogs overnight is a variance. There are no routine statewide inspections or licensing requirements for pet boarding businesses.
“Apparently anybody walking down the street can open up their own doggy day care or boarding facility,” Richard Gouldsbury said. “It's shameful.”
Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County SPCA, said he has investigated several cases involving pets that were injured or died at boarding facilities.
He said the lack of consistent regulations can also make it difficult for pet owners to determine whether a facility has a history of safety problems.
“Most people feel that their pets are family members,” Gross said. “We have to treat it the same as if it were childcare, which of course is regulated. These boarding facilities must be regulated.”
The issue is not limited to Jet’s case. In 2023, an employee at a Massapequa doggy day care was arrested in connection with allegations of abusing dogs at the facility.
For the Gouldsburys, questions remain about what happened to Jet.
The Pawdorf never explained to the family how their dog died, they said.
The Town of Hempstead issued the business a violation, and the facility is now being investigated by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
The Pawdorf has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
