New Zealand's SPCA Certified scheme adds two more dog daycare centres

In New Zealand, two Auckland dog daycare centres, Pets In The City's Wairau Park and Silverdale sites, have joined the SPCA Certified programme after completing the charity's assessment process. That process involved opening their facilities to SPCA assessors and submitting supporting paperwork, with the aim of showing they meet independently verified, science-based welfare standards rather than simply saying so themselves.

SPCA Certified is designed to give dog owners a straightforward way to check a daycare's standards before they book their dog in, rather than relying on a website or a brochure. At the two Auckland sites, assessors looked for attentive supervision of dogs in care, handling that avoids the use of force, structured play arranged in compatible groups, activities that support dogs' day-to-day wellbeing, and proper opportunities for rest between sessions.

For owners and breeders further afield, the scheme is a useful reminder of what a well-run daycare or boarding facility should look like in practice: close supervision, sensible grouping of dogs by temperament, and genuine rest periods, not just an open yard and a camera feed. As more commercial dog-care providers seek this kind of independent accreditation, it gives the public an easier way to tell proper welfare oversight from marketing claims.