Copyright manchestereveningnews
A mum who was behind an illegal dog sitting service in her home bragged about how she let her six-year-old son play with stranger's pets. Emma Guy offered to look after people's pets for £27 a night, even though she did not have a licence. The scheme was called Perfect Pets Home From Home and on her social media page, she claimed to be trained. Guy also shared pictures with her American bully around small children. When Guy was contacted by Liverpool Council about the need for legal requirements, she failed to respond to the message and continued to promote her services. As recently as last month, Guy was still promoting her home-based operation and receiving reviews, the ECHO reports. In her post on the dog-minding site PetBacker, she wrote about how she would let her six-year-old son play with the pets she said she was trained to handle. Join our Traffic and Travel WhatsApp group HERE An inspection of the advertisements posted by Guy raised serious concerns with Liverpool Council, including images showing dogs being fed potentially harmful human food and kept in close proximity to young children. The mum, 40, of Maytree Close, Belle Vale, has been slapped with a fine by magistrates after failing to attend two court hearings earlier this month. With no further communication from Guy, the city council escalated the matter to the courts. She failed to attend two hearings and was found guilty in her absence on October 23. She has now been ordered to pay £1,444 within 28 days. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, individuals providing home boarding for dogs as a business must hold a valid licence. This is put in place to protect the wellbeing of animals and ensure that all pet care businesses operate responsibly. On social media, Guy had posted just weeks before the court hearing advertising her business on the dog-minder locator website Rover via Facebook. She wrote: “Check out my page if your looking for anyone to look after your fur babies.” Reviews for her service were left six days before her scheduled appearance before magistrates. On her PetBacker profile, Guy said she knew what makes dogs happy and would not leave pets alone for long periods of time. It said: “Pets will be treated like our own pet whilst here so to make the transition whilst mum and dad are away easier for them. “We will tend to any need instructed by owners if there are any specific requirements.” She wrote how her American bully, named Hunter, is “great with kids” and “a huge part of my family.” The profile added: “We enjoy hiding treats around the garden and testing the dog’s sense of smell out trying to find them too. My son especially enjoys this game. “I enjoy meeting other animals and letting owners have piece (SIC) of mind that their pet is being taken care of in a loving family environment and not locked in a kennel. They are treated as if they were our own.” In her profile summary, Guy said she could provide references and how she had provided daycare to pets for ‘some time now’ with regular clients. It added: “I have a 6 year old son, who like me is an animal lover too and enjoys seeing the different dogs come to play with him.”
