Ask 2: Is there a limit on how many animals a dog day care can have?

At KPRC 2, we’re dedicated to keeping Houstonians informed. As part of our Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston.

Question: I live next door to a dog daycare in Montrose and they seem to have a lot of dogs in such a small space. Is there a limit on how many dogs?

Recommended Videos



Answer: Commercial pet service facilities are not restricted to an exact number of animals that they can care for. Instead, they must be licensed and meet minimum standards for operations, according to The City of Houston.

These standards include the requirement of one or more shelter structures that are accessible to each dog in each outdoor facility, and that is large enough to allow each animal in the shelter structure to sit, stand, and lie without its body being in contact with at least one side of the shelter walls in a normal manner, and to turn about freely, according to humane care provisions for dogs and cats under the Animal Welfare Act.

Furthermore, each dog housed in a primary enclosure must be provided a minimum amount of floor space, calculated as follows:

“Find the mathematical square of the sum of the length of the dog in inches (measured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail) plus 6 inches; then divide the product by 144. The calculation is: (length of dog in inches + 6) x (length of dog in inches + 6) = required floor space in square inches. Required floor space in inches/144 = required floor space in square feet,” according to the provisions.

Do you have a burning H-Town-related question? Send it our way, and we will try to hunt down an answer.

_


About the Author: