Dominique
The board of the Haags Dierencentrum has decided to keep the boarding kennel closed for the remainder of 2025. This decision was made due to the ongoing labor market shortages, which have made it impossible to sufficiently fill vacancies for animal caretakers in the kennel.
While this measure has an impact, animal welfare always comes first. At this moment, we cannot provide the quality of care within the boarding kennel that we consider necessary and responsible.
Animal welfare as the primary principle
The Haags Dierencentrum places great value on high-quality, professional animal care. Especially in a boarding environment, sufficient and expert staffing is essential to give animals the attention, rest, and care they need.
Due to the shortage of qualified animal caretakers, we cannot guarantee this care in 2025. Therefore, it has been decided to temporarily close the boarding kennel so that no concessions are made regarding animal welfare.
Focus on core task: sheltering stray animals
The Haags Dierencentrum was founded as a foundation with the primary goal of sheltering, caring for, and rehoming stray animals. For that reason, the priority in 2025 lies in retaining the professional animal caretakers currently working with us and filling open vacancies for the shelter departments.
By maintaining this focus, we can continue to meet our social responsibility toward stray animals in The Hague and the surrounding area. Deploying available capacity in the right place is necessary for this.
Reassessment of the situation in November 2025
The closure of the boarding kennel is a temporary measure. In November 2025, the board will reassess the situation. This assessment will look at labor market developments and the staffing levels within the Haags Dierencentrum.
As soon as there is more clarity, we will share an update on our website. This way, we will keep everyone as informed as possible.
Thank you for your understanding
We understand that the closure of the boarding kennel may raise questions or be disappointing. At the same time, we ask for your understanding regarding this decision, which was carefully made with the welfare of the animals as the starting point.
