New York City Health Department Has Declared Pet Sitting Illegal

The New York Health Code recently declared that pet sitting is illegal and few homes who were pet sitting have already been sanctioned by fines.

What will really surprise you is that fines aren’t petty, no, they start at $1,000.

According to Julien Martinez, the spokesman for Health Department, “To ensure the health and safety of pets and reduce risks to public health, the NYC Health Code requires certain businesses to obtain a Health Department permit and comply with necessary regulations – this includes animal boarding facilities and kennels. We also conduct inspections of these facilities to make sure animals would be secure and safe.”

Of course Corey Johnson, the City Council health committee chair, was not happy about the ban and to counterattack it, he plans to draft up a bill that will make pet sitting illegal. He mentioned, “It’s so crazy. There are millions of cats and dogs in New York City, and people I think believe they can pet sit or have someone pet sit for them. To have a law on the books that says that’s illegal is antiquated and not practical.”

You might not be in New York, but that doesn’t mean you can take it for granted that your pets are okay – please do your homework and find out what needs to be done. Pet sitters need to have a license to work at pet sitters, so be careful out there before you pick one for your pup.