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About Us

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Free legal helpline for pet professionals

Free Legal Helpline

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10% off City & Guilds Level 2 Grooming Assistant & Level 3 Dog Grooming Diploma

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The Welfare-Led Trade Association for Pet Professionals

The Animal Focused Alliance exists to support pet professionals, those people who are  commitment to professionalism and welfare – by providing clear information, practical guidance, and a reliable place to turn when expectations, regulations, or messaging become unclear. 

The Animal Focused Alliance is a UK welfare-led trade association providing regulatory guidance, professional reassurance, and sector representation for pet business owners. 

Our Mission

Our mission is to support pet professionals across the UK to operate confidently, ethically, and responsibly, by:

  • Providing clear, welfare-led regulatory guidance

  • Supporting compliance with licensing and legal responsibilities

  • Promoting high standards of animal welfare in professional practice

  • Acting as a credible, representative voice for pet professionals in regulatory and policy discussions

We exist to give pet businesses the clarity, reassurance, and professional backing they need to meet expectations, protect their business, and put animal welfare first.

Who We Support: We exist to provide clear, welfare-led guidance, professional reassurance, and credible sector representation for those working across the pet care industry — from dog walkers and groomers to animal encounter providers, boarding establishments, trainers, and animal-assisted therapy teams. 

Who We Are

The Animal Focused Alliance was created in 2025 to address a growing gap in the pet sector: practical, welfare-focused support that helps pet businesses stay compliant, confident, and current, without relying on guesswork, conflicting advice, or informal online opinion. Our guidance is grounded in legislation, welfare science, and direct engagement with regulators and sector bodies.

We support pet professionals at every stage of their journey, whether you’re a new sole trader or an established, licensed business navigating complex regulatory and welfare expectations.

As a trade association, our role is not just to support individual businesses, but to raise standards across the sector as a whole, for the benefit of animals, professionals, regulators, and the public.

If you work professionally with animals and want to do things properly, you’re in the right place.

Our Standards & Code Of Conduct 

OUR VALUES:

Everything we do as an Alliance is guided by a small number of clear, non-negotiable values. 

Welfare First

Animal welfare is not an add-on or a marketing phrase. It underpins every decision, recommendation, and standard we promote.

Professionalism

We believe pet professionals deserve support that is credible, evidence-based, and grounded in real-world practice, resulting in confidence and compliance.

Integrity and
Transparency

We provide honest guidance, even when it’s complex or challenging. Our advice is designed to protect animals, businesses, and public trust.

Collaboration over Competition

We believe raising standards happens through shared learning, cooperation, and open dialogue, not division or blame.

Raising Standards
Together

Our goal is not minimum compliance, but continual improvement, supporting pet professionals to move beyond good, towards excellence.

These values shape our guidance, our standards, and how we represent the sector publicly. 

Our Code of Conduct

All members of the Animal Focused Alliance commit to upholding our Code of Conduct, which sets clear expectations around welfare, professionalism, and responsible business practice.

This includes a commitment to:

  • Promoting the physical, emotional, and behavioural wellbeing of each animal in their care.
  • Understanding and responding appropriately to signs of stress, fear, or discomfort.
  • Working in a way that supports best practice, not just compliance.
  • Maintaining appropriate licensing and insurance whilst working in line with current legal requirements.
  • Engaging in ongoing professional development to stay current with welfare science, legislation, and best practice.

Our Code of Conduct is designed to protect animals, support professionals, and provide reassurance to clients and regulators alike.

Our Authority & Representation

Our Authority & Representation

Sector Representation and Assured Advice

The Animal Focused Alliance actively represents its members in national discussions affecting the pet sector including licensing, welfare standards, and regulatory reform. We engage with policymakers, regulators, and industry bodies to ensure that the realities of professional pet care are understood and that animal welfare remains central to decision-making.

This includes involvement with the Companion Animal Sector Council, the Cross-Party Group on Animal Welfare, and the Pet Advertising Advisory Group.

For members licensed under the Licensing of Activities Involving Animals Regulations, we also provide access to Primary Authority-assured advice, offering clarity, consistency, and confidence when dealing with inspections, compliance, and regulatory interpretation.

Membership & Who We Support

Membership & Who We Support

Who is the Animal Focused Alliance for?

The Animal Focused Alliance is for pet business owners who care about professional credibility best practice in all aspects of their business.

Our Founding Members

The Animal Focused Alliance is built on the support of its founding members - pet care professionals who recognised the need for a welfare-led, standards-driven trade association from the outset.

Our founding members represent a cross-section of the pet sector, including dog groomers, animal encounters and animal assisted therapy businesses, each of them sharing a commitment to:

• High standards of animal welfare

• Ethical, responsible business practice

• Ongoing learning and professional development

• Supporting a stronger, more credible future for the pet industry

Their early support helped shape the Alliance’s direction, standards, and values, and continues to influence how we work today.

Meet our founding members

Working together for better welfare

The Animal Focused Alliance exists to support pet professionals who care deeply about their work and the animals they serve,

By combining clear guidance, assured advice, and shared values, we’re building a professional community that protects animal welfare, supports businesses, and strengthens public trust in the pet sector.

Ready to be part of a welfare-led professional community? 

Join the Animal Focused Alliance and work with confidence, clarity, and care. 

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JOIN NOW