Is your volunteer pet transporter DEFRA approved?  Animal charities & rescues using volunteers to transport pets may be breaking the rules if the volunteers don’t have animal transport authorisations. Especially for journeys over 40 miles/65km.

There are so many rescue organisations using volunteers, but are they working within the DEFRA guidelines?

We’ve seen several operating outside of these rules and it’s potentially putting your pet at risk.

We understand that rescues and charities rely on donations and are often short of funds and want to keep costs low, but this shouldn’t be at the expense of the animals.

While many volunteers are animal lovers, and want to help, they may not understand the rules let alone follow them, so it’s important to make sure you choose a reputable transporter.

Even some ‘legitimate’ transporters are doing multi-drops to maximise on revenue by overloading their vans.

Did you know that animal transporters are not allowed to pick up and drop off at car parks, motorway service stations, or other central locations for instance?  Or transport if the temperature outside is over 30 degrees (unless in a climate controlled environment).

Using a DEFRA approved animal transporter ensures your pet will be transported following strict guidelines to ensure their welfare.

• Check they have a license and ask to see it. If they can’t produce one, ask yourself why.
• Check reviews – what are their customers saying about them?
• Do they ask lots of questions about your pet and show a genuine interest?
• Does their fee seem low and too good to be true? If so, it probably is!

Don’t take a chance on your pet’s safety and well-being.  Use a DEFRA approved pet transporter or pet taxi.

For more information on our pet transport service click here.