Black Cricket Animal Services

Black Cricket Animal Services Pet care, dog walks, rescue, animal education, livestock care, homeless pet checks & more, plus support for pet professionals. MSc, BSc, BA (Hons), QTS.

We love all creatures great and small! Enhanced DBS, Insured, Animal First Aid, CPD, NSA member.

🐾 Would you leave your dog with someone who isn’t licensed?Central Bedfordshire Council is stepping up with reminders ab...
09/06/2026

🐾 Would you leave your dog with someone who isn’t licensed?

Central Bedfordshire Council is stepping up with reminders about the importance of choosing ONLY licensed home boarders (see picture), and honestly, it’s such an important conversation. Is your council doing the same?

When we go away, we all want to know our furry family members are safe, happy, and properly cared for. Choosing a licensed home boarder isn’t just a “nice to have”... it’s one of the best ways to protect your pet’s wellbeing.

Licensed boarders must meet strict standards for:
✔️ Pet care and welfare
✔️ Cleanliness and hygiene
✔️ Safety and emergency procedures
✔️ Suitable home environments and accommodations

Many pet owners also don’t realise that pet insurance may only remain valid if your dog is staying with a licensed boarder.

And this is really important...

Just because someone is a dog walker, dog trainer, groomer, or works with dogs in another capacity does NOT automatically mean they are legally licensed to board dogs in their own home... whether that’s daytime care, overnight stays, or longer boarding.

Sadly, many owners assume “they work with dogs already, so it must be fine.” But legally, if someone is caring for dogs in their home for payment, they should hold the correct Animal Activity Licence.

Licensed boarders are trained to handle emergencies, recognise health concerns, and provide a safe, structured environment where dogs can feel settled and secure while their owners are away 🐶❤️

Before booking, ask your council for their Public Register of Animal Activity Licence holders and always check the boarder is listed.

Central Bedfordshire licensed boarders:
https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/directory/37/register_of_animal_licences/category/153?fbclid=IwY2xjawSUEV5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFkcTM4UFRna2E0YW92dTZ3c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHo2Hlb_gQlagqxVkIRTkV3Kjq7pYZJ4fH7WYof1zfBwxtJB14yWZ71zijk3C_aem_iSewifu-xuxlgZLiifSynQ

Bedford Borough licensed boarders:
https://www.bedford.gov.uk/files/animal-licensing-public-register-26-may-2026.pdf/download?inline

Your dog deserves the safest and best care possible 🐾

🌧 It may have been raining cats and dogs today but that doesn't stop the beautiful Bouvier wanting to go out 🐶
08/06/2026

🌧 It may have been raining cats and dogs today but that doesn't stop the beautiful Bouvier wanting to go out 🐶

😡 Spared jail for drowning her dog!We are supposed to be a nation of animal lovers… so how does something like this stil...
08/06/2026

😡 Spared jail for drowning her dog!

We are supposed to be a nation of animal lovers… so how does something like this still happen?

Gypsy, a helpless elderly Jack Russell, drowned in a lake by the very person she trusted most. No matter how difficult life becomes, no animal deserves fear, pain, or abandonment as their final moments.

Last week at Liverpool Magistrates' Court, Michelle Moran avoided a prison sentence after admitting to drowning her dog, claiming financial hardship stopped her seeking treatment through a veterinary practice.

What makes this hard to understand is that Gypsy had never even been properly examined by a vet. She suffered unnecessarily, alone and terrified.

Moran took Gypsy to a lake in Birkenhead and threw her into the water. A member of the public recovered the dog's body from the boating lake the following day and subsequently a Facebook post was made about a 'dead pet' being discovered.

A veterinary examination of her body revealed that Gypsy weighed just 3.7kg and had a body condition score of two out of nine, with five being ideal. The dog was also found to have blood around her mouth and nose.

Moran was sentenced to 17 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and was handed a 6pm to 6am curfew. The court also disqualified her from keeping animals, ordered her to complete 25 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, and told her to pay a £154 victim surcharge.

If you cannot afford veterinary treatment, PLEASE know there are other options. Speak to your vet about payment plans. Contact rescues or charities. Many organisations can offer vouchers, support, advice, or even full financial help. There is ALWAYS someone willing to try and help before it comes to this.

Should punishments for animal cruelty be tougher? Should it be an eye for an eye when innocent animals suffer at human hands?

We’d really like to know your thoughts because cases like this leave so many animal lovers devastated and angry 💔🐾

07/06/2026

Blame the dog.... but it was actually cats 😹

🐾 Dear pawrents....🐾Thank you so much for going away and booking our lovely hoomans from Black Cricket Animal Services t...
07/06/2026

🐾 Dear pawrents....🐾

Thank you so much for going away and booking our lovely hoomans from Black Cricket Animal Services to look after us while you’re on holiday… because honestly? We are having a PAW-FECT time 😎🐶

🍖 Meals arrive exactly on time
🦴 Treats? Outstanding quality control
🎾 Plenty of playtime and zoomies
💛 Endless cuddles and belly rubs
☀️ AND somehow it hasn’t rained when we've been out... miracles do happen.

When we’ve needed a little paws-up relaxation, we’ve been enjoying some quality time too…
📺 One Man and His Dog
🎬 Beethoven
🐾 101 Dalmatians

Basically, this has been less “missing our pawrents” and more “luxury doggy staycation” 😂

So… no rush coming home. In fact, please go away again soon. We’ve already been planning what we can do on our next home staycation 🐕

Lots of slobbery kisses and waggy tails,

🐾 Love from the pups x

We'll be having coffee and cake between 12pm - 1pm, come along, have a chat and drop your donations off ☕️🧁🐶🐈🐇.The jumbl...
07/06/2026

We'll be having coffee and cake between 12pm - 1pm, come along, have a chat and drop your donations off ☕️🧁🐶🐈🐇.

The jumble trail is between 12pm and 3pm around the village.

Cats certainly do like to worry us to death 😹Have you been in that situation where your kitty hasn't come home for an ho...
06/06/2026

Cats certainly do like to worry us to death 😹

Have you been in that situation where your kitty hasn't come home for an hour, five hours or overnight, missing their dinner and cuddles time? You start to get worried thinking they could've got lost, catnapped or worse, so you start putting posts up on Facebook and posters in shop windows...

Only for them to walk through the door like nothing's happened... typical 😹

🐱 Is this true?Happy Caturday Saturday 🐾
06/06/2026

🐱 Is this true?

Happy Caturday Saturday 🐾

Behind every seized dog case with Beds Police is a family who cried themselves to sleep wondering if they’d ever see the...
05/06/2026

Behind every seized dog case with Beds Police is a family who cried themselves to sleep wondering if they’d ever see their dog again. Today, there may finally be a reason for hope🐾

The number of dogs seized by Bedfordshire Police has increased in recent years; 43 dogs in 2022/23, 63 dogs in 2023/24, and 86 dogs in 2024/25.

As we mentioned the other day, we wanted to end the week with some, perhaps, good news about Bedfordshire Police. Beds Police’s Dog Legislation Officer (DLO), Peter Madden, has now retired from the force. He has gone into partnership with former DLOs Steve Bishop and Paul Nicholls to create K9 Forensic Assessments, carrying out behavioural assessments for courts.

For many people in our community (the canine community as a whole, as well as the Bedfordshire community) this will come as welcome news.

After all, we have seen dogs incorrectly identified as banned breeds when they were not. We have seen families devastated. We have seen dogs left suffering in kennels, and owners pressured into signing their beloved pets away. Those are not small “mistakes” they are life-changing consequences for both dogs and the people who love them.

But now, with Mr Madden no longer working for Bedfordshire Police, an opportunity has opened up for change.

🚨 Bedfordshire Police are now recruiting for a new Dangerous Dog Advisor.

This role will involve:
• Providing expert advice in dangerous dog cases
• Supporting frontline police operations
• Overseeing kennel contracts and dog welfare
• Attending court hearings
• Training officers and staff
• Managing dangerous dog investigations across Beds, Cambs and Herts

The position is a 12-month contract with an estimated salary between £36,000–£60,000 and applications have only just opened.

And honestly, this matters.

Because the next person appointed will have real influence over whether dogs are treated fairly, whether owners are listened to, and whether welfare is genuinely prioritised.

We can only hope Bedfordshire Police take this opportunity seriously and appoint somebody competent, compassionate, experienced, and committed to ensuring the mistakes of the past are never repeated.

No family should lose their dog because of poor assessments. No dog should suffer unnecessarily behind kennel doors.

This is a chance to do better.

What qualities do YOU think the next Dangerous Dog Advisor should have?

📣 We will be at the jumble trail on Sunday collecting donations for animal rescue. If you have any cat, dog or small ani...
05/06/2026

📣 We will be at the jumble trail on Sunday collecting donations for animal rescue. If you have any cat, dog or small animal food (unopened), pet toys or pet accessories that are in good, clean condition, please bring them along. As always we do not accept any monetary donations in any form.

🐶 If you have any spare and unopened Original Chappie or AVA Optimum Health hypoallergenic dry dog food, the dogs will greatly appreciate these.

🛒 If you have any items for the charity shop, please message us before Sunday to let us know what it is or what they are, just to see if we have the space to taken the items over.

💬 We will also be there to chat, provide information and advice on pets, pet care, animal licensing, etc too. Chat over cake and drinks 12pm - 1pm.

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Wilstead

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