Your pet forms part of your family, and this is why when you feel under the weather, we fear the worst. This is why it is essential for you to keep them up to date with their medical checkups and take them to their veterinarian regularly.
The pet ambulance business is booming in the United States. The drivers are able to transport pets in complete safety, thanks to their approved vehicles. Of course, like any other activity, this one requires training and regulations to be respected.
Standards and regulations
Depending on the route taken by the transporters, the regulations provide for two types of authorizations:
- Proof that each driver has the appropriate personnel and equipment to transport animals safely
- As of January 1, 2007, a satellite navigation system for new vehicles and 2009 for older ones, this system allows the authorities to monitor compliance with the regulations on long-distance travel time and rest periods for transporters and the route plan. Vehicles and their drivers are registered on a computerized database that is accessible to the authorities of all Member States.
If a transporter has committed serious infringements of animal welfare legislation, the authorities may withdraw his authorization. They can also withdraw the certificates of approval in case of non-compliance.
There is already a contact point in each Member State so that infringements committed by transporters or the withdrawal of certificates and authorizations will be systematically notified to the authorities on the road.
For journeys lasting more than eight hours and involving a border crossing, it is compulsory to keep a logbook. Compliance with the maximum transport and rest periods is thus verified by means of the records of the onboard navigation system. In addition, each transporter must include detailed information on the animals transported in their logbook.
All of these documents must be issued in a harmonized EU-wide format to facilitate movement controls.
Training requirements
An animal ambulance must receive specialized training in a center approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. There will be a follow-up every five years so that the driver has all the standards up to date. According to the regulation, the drivers or attendants must have a certificate of professional aptitude for the transport of live animals.
The designated authorities appoint this certificate at the end of the training and the examination. They must also obtain the approval from the designated authorities. And most importantly, they must be registered in the road transporters’ register.
Skills and qualities required.
An animal ambulance driver must hold:
- A B license that is at least two years old
- A clean criminal record.
He must also have excellent abilities:
- Orientation and driving skills, especially in the most difficult conditions
- Concentration, caution, reliability, and attention
- Self-control and stress management
- Predisposition, politeness, and cordiality in terms of personal relations.
Required Vehicles and Accessories
Pet ambulance vehicles must be well-equipped and equipped for the transportation of pets. They are often minivans or vans with sufficient space to accommodate cages appropriate to the size of the animals being transported:
- An access ramp
- A heating and air-conditioning system to maintain the appropriate temperature for the animals being transported
- Surfaces that are easy to disinfect
- A ventilation system
- Disinfecting equipment
- Cages with a floor fixing system to avoid tipping over during the journey, etc.
Your pet is like an actual member of your family; at least, this is how we treat our pets in our family. This is why when something is wrong with them or when they are sick, we tend to be stressed out and don’t really know what to do about this situation. This is where a pet ambulance can come in clutch and be really helpful in these kinds of situations.
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