The Dog Business Association

The dog industry deserves better. We’re building it.

The Dog Business Association is being established as a new, independent, not-for-profit trade body for UK dog service professionals. Built on proper standards, genuine accountability, and a long overdue belief: that dog professionals deserve to be treated as the skilled, responsible business owners they are.

Independent

Member-governed

Not-for-profit

Every discipline

UK-wide

Current status

The Dog Business Association is currently in formation. We are gathering expressions of interest from dog service professionals, including former ADB members.

We are not yet taking payment, issuing membership, granting use of the DBA Trust Mark or operating the public member directory.

Full membership, verification, governance documents and member benefits will follow after incorporation and launch.

For former ADB members

If you’re here because of the Association of Dog Boarders, you’re in the right place.

Losing a trade body is unsettling. For many of you, your ADB membership represented something real: a professional standard you were proud to meet, a community that understood your work, a signal to clients that you took your business seriously.

That matters. And it should not simply disappear.

The Dog Business Association is being established to ensure it doesn’t. We are moving quickly, with purpose. We want every former ADB member to have a professional home from day one.

Who

Built by people who know this industry.

The DBA is in the process of being formed by Randle and a founding team with direct, hands-on experience: running dog businesses, working alongside dog professionals, and building membership organisations that genuinely serve their members.

We are not a tech platform. We are not a directory dressed up as a trade body. Once formed, we aim to be an independent, member-governed professional association, constituted properly, run transparently, and answerable to you.

We know what good representation looks like. We know what has been missing. And we are determined to build something the dog services industry can be genuinely proud of.

What

One association. Every discipline. Standards that mean something.

The Dog Business Association is setting out to be a Company Limited by Guarantee: an independent, not-for-profit membership body. We will have no shareholders. Any surplus will be reinvested into the association and its members. We will be governed by our members, for our members.

We aim to represent the full breadth of the UK dog services sector.

Home Dog Boarders
Kennels
Dog Walkers
Day Care Operators
Dog Trainers
Groomers
Pet Sitters
+ the DBA aims to be your professional home.

Whether you are a sole trader walking three dogs a day, or a multi-member boarding and grooming facility, the DBA aims to be your professional home.

Why

Three things are broken. The DBA addresses all of them.

For Professionals

Dog professionals are not hobbyists. It’s time they were recognised as the skilled business owners they are.

You invest in training. You carry insurance. You comply with licensing requirements. You take your duty of care to every dog, and every owner, with absolute seriousness.

Yet too often, the dog services industry is characterised as a casual, unregulated space. The professionals who set the standard deserve an organisation that amplifies that commitment, advocates for their interests, and ensures their voice is heard: by local authorities, by policymakers, and by the public.

The DBA will be that organisation.

II.

For Pet Owners

Pet owners deserve a reliable, straightforward way to find someone they can genuinely trust.

Right now, a pet owner searching for a dog walker, boarder or trainer has very little to go on. Anyone can advertise. Anyone can claim to be professional. There is no universal standard a consumer can look for with confidence.

The DBA Member Directory changes that. Every listed member is verified: insured, and where required by law, licensed. When a pet owner sees the DBA Trust Mark on a professional’s website or marketing, it means something specific:

That clarity is good for pet owners. And it is good for every professional who already meets those standards.

“This business is licensed, insured and professionally accountable.”

The DBA Trust Mark will be available only to verified members after launch. It must not be used until membership has been approved and written permission has been granted.

III.

For the Industry

The dog services sector has been under-represented for too long. Legislation is moving. The industry needs a seat at the table.

Animal Activities Licensing. Changes to dog legislation. Evolving local authority requirements. Animal welfare standards that rightly continue to rise. These are not abstract issues. They affect your business directly.

Without a credible, well-constituted trade body engaged at policy level, the dog services sector risks being shaped by people who do not understand it. The DBA will represent its members’ interests with local authorities, in Westminster, and in the national conversation about animal welfare and professional standards.

How

Professional membership, properly structured.

The DBA is not a directory you pay to appear in. It is a membership body with conditions, because that is precisely what gives it credibility, and what gives your membership its value.

Membership conditions

01 / For all members

Valid Public Liability Insurance must be held and evidenced at application, and renewed annually.

02 / For regulated businesses

Dog boarding (home and kennels), day care, and any activity requiring an Animal Activities Licence.

A current Local Authority Animal Activities Licence number must be provided and verified.

That’s it. Clear, fair, and meaningful.

The three pillars

What Promote, Protect and Educate mean in practice.

Having previously chaired a trade association, I know that the three pillars of any serious membership body must be more than words on a page. At the DBA, Promote, Protect and Educate are the lens through which every decision we make will be tested.

Here is what that means in practice for you.

Promote

We will raise your profile, and the profile of the profession.

The dog services industry is full of talented, dedicated professionals who are chronically under-visible. The DBA will change that.

In practice, this means a public-facing member directory that puts your business in front of pet owners actively looking for verified professionals; a DBA Trust Mark you can display with pride; national and regional press activity that positions DBA members as the gold standard in dog care; and a social media presence that champions your work, your expertise and your businesses.

We want every pet owner in the UK to know what the DBA badge means, and to look for it.

Protect

We will stand alongside you when it matters most.

Running a dog business involves risk, regulation, and the occasional difficult client or complaint. You should not face any of that alone.

In practice, this means representing your interests when legislation or licensing requirements change; providing clear, practical guidance on your legal obligations and rights; maintaining a disciplinary and complaints process that is fair to members and transparent to the public; and ensuring that when decisions affecting your business are made by local authorities, government, or the media, the DBA is at the table, making the case for professional dog businesses like yours.

Educate

We will invest in your development and your standards.

The best professionals never stop learning. The DBA will make it easier, more affordable and more rewarding to keep developing.

In practice, this means CPD webinars and expert sessions delivered throughout the year; practical resources on animal welfare, business compliance, licensing and best practice; guidance on qualifications and professional development pathways across every discipline we represent; and a member community where knowledge and experience are shared freely.

Member benefits

A commitment from the outset, and a promise about where we’re going.

From day one of membership, every DBA member will receive a core set of benefits that reflect the value of professional membership. But we want to be honest with you about something important: we are actively working to build this further.

We are in the process of establishing relationships with corporate partners and specialist suppliers (insurers, legal advisers, business service providers, and others who serve the dog professional community) with the specific goal of securing member benefits and exclusive discounts that go beyond what you’d expect from a trade body.

Our objective is straightforward: the value of your member benefits should exceed the cost of your annual membership. That is the standard we are holding ourselves to, and we will be transparent about our progress towards it.

These are the benefits we are building into the full membership launch.

01 / 07

DBA Member Directory listing

Your business listed in a public-facing, searchable directory by location and service type. Verified members only.
02 / 07

The DBA Trust Mark

Display the DBA badge on your website, social media and marketing materials. It tells every potential client: “This business is licensed, insured and professionally accountable.”
03 / 07

Member Resources Hub

Practical guides, compliance briefings, legislation updates and business templates. Written in plain English, for dog professionals.
04 / 07

CPD Programme

Webinars, expert sessions and learning opportunities across every DBA discipline, included in your membership.
05 / 07

Member Community

Access to a private member network: peer support, shared knowledge, and a professional community that genuinely understands your world.
06 / 07

Sector Representation

Your interests represented at industry and policy level. We will be the voice of the professional dog services sector.
07 / 07

Member Communications

Regular news, updates and guidance on everything affecting your business.

When

Here’s where we are, and what happens next.

01

Today

The DBA is open for interest registrations. If you register now, you will be added to the founding interest list. Former ADB members can register their interest in 12 months’ free founding membership here.
02

Within 2 to 4 weeks

The full DBA website launches, including the complete membership portal, verified application process, public member directory, and all member resources. You will receive direct communication as soon as it is live.
03

Ongoing

The DBA’s founding governance structure (its board, its Articles of Association, its member-elected council) will be established in the coming months, with full transparency throughout. Founding members will have the opportunity to shape that process.

Register your interest today.

Whether you are a former ADB member, an established dog professional who has never belonged to a trade body, or someone just starting out in the industry, we would like to hear from you.

Leave your details below. We’ll be back in touch shortly, with next steps, membership information and everything you need to know.

We will use your details only to contact you about DBA updates, founding membership and launch information. You can ask us to remove your details at any time. We will not sell or share your details with third parties.

Full name

Business name

Email address

Type of business

Were you an ADB member?

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By submitting this form, you understand that we may contact you about the formation and launch of The Dog Business Association. Registering interest does not make you a member and does not give you use of any DBA badge, Trust Mark or member benefit.

We will use your details for DBA-related updates and expression of interest records. We will not sell your information or give your details to sponsors or commercial partners for their own marketing unless you clearly agree, ask us to make an introduction, or register for a specific partner offer, event or service.

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