About the Smiley
The dog smiley scheme makes it easy for you as a consumer to find dog dealers, kennels, boarding facilities, and shelters that comply with animal welfare regulations. The scheme helps create transparency and gives you a quick overview of how well the animals are treated.
What is the Dog Smiley Scheme?
The dog smiley scheme is a disclosure system that shows the results most recent inspections of the Danish Veterinary and Food Agency (DVFA) of businesses working with dogs.
The scheme has been in force since April 2018 and includes:
- Dog dealers
- Kennels
- Dog boarding facilities
- Animal shelters
After each inspection visit, the business receives a smiley as an easily recognisable indicator for consumers. The dog smiley is an icon featuring a smiley face in a doghouse.
Purpose of the Scheme
The dog smiley scheme aims to:
- Give consumers a better basis for making a safe choice
- Increase transparency in the industry
- Ensure better animal welfare
- Motivate businesses to comply with legislation
Who is covered by the Dog Smiley Scheme?
Businesses that commercially trade dogs, breed dogs (kennels), or run dog boarding facilities or shelters must have a permit from the DVFA and are therefore covered by the dog smiley scheme.
Commercial trading of dogs means acquiring dogs with the intention of resale. Commercial breeding refers to breeding using three or more breeding bitches and producing three or more litters of puppies annually.
When the DVFA has inspected a dog-related business, the business is assigned a dog smiley indicating how well it complies with the relevant regulations.
Smaller kennels are not covered
Kennels that use fewer than three breeding bitches or produce fewer than three litters of puppies per year are not covered by the regulations on commercial dog keeping. As a result, they are generally not part of the dog smiley scheme.
These smaller breeders/kennels often provide good animal welfare, and puppies from them typically receive a lot of contact and are well socialised. As a general rule, it is safe to buy a dog from these small breeders even though they are not included in the dog smiley scheme.
Think before you buy
It is always important to investigate the conditions in which the dog was bred before making a purchase and to see the mother of the puppies.
You can find useful advice on:
'Klar til hund' on DVFA website
On the Danish Kennel Club’s website, koebhund.dk, you can find an overview of breeders for all dog breeds.