Write the plan down, keep it to two pages, and name one person who owns it. A workable infection control plan for a small animal premises has four parts: the risks you actually have, the cleaning and hand hygiene steps that answer them, a customer notice that states your rules, and a staff sickness and return-to-work rule. You do not need a consultant or a certificate to start; you need a document your staff can read in five minutes and follow on a busy Saturday.
How do I write an infection control plan for a small business?
Start with a walk through your own premises, not with a template. List the places where an infected dog, cat or person can pass something on: the intake counter, the kennel runs, the grooming table, the drying room, the daycare yard, the shared water bowls, the mop and the bin. For each one, write what you do about it and how often. A line such as “intake counter wiped after every check-in, hand gel at the door, staff wash hands between animals” is worth more than a paragraph of general intentions.
Then set out who does what. Name a deputy for the person in charge, because a plan that stops when one manager is on holiday is not a plan. Keep a simple log: date, task, initials. Two columns on a clipboard by the door is enough, and it gives you something to show if a customer or an inspector asks.
Review it once a year, and after any outbreak or near miss. If three dogs in a week come down with the same diarrhoea, the review is not optional. Guidance from public health bodies such as the US CDC on cleaning and disinfection in animal settings is a reasonable starting reference, and the same practical logic appears in independent writing on the subject, for example in this small business infection control plan material for shops and workplaces, which sets out the same four building blocks: risks, routine, notice, and staff rules. Read it for structure, then write your own version around animals.
Keep the language plain. “Wash hands after handling each animal” beats “maintain hand hygiene compliance”. Your staff are groomers and kennel hands, not infection control officers, and a plan nobody understands is a plan nobody follows.
What rules should I put on a customer notice?
A customer notice is not a legal document. It is a short set of expectations, posted where people wait, and it should fit on one sheet. Cover the things a customer can actually do or needs to know.
Vaccination and health status: state that dogs must be up to date on the vaccinations your veterinarian recommends for your area, and that you will turn away an animal with vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing, sneezing, open skin lesions or fleas and ticks visible on arrival. Say it kindly and say it clearly, because the customer standing at your counter with a coughing dog needs to hear it once, not argue about it.
Drop-off and pick-up: one household at a time in the reception area, or a marked waiting spot outside. This is the single most useful rule for a small premises with a narrow doorway.
What you ask of the owner: bring your own lead, tell us if the dog has been ill in the last two weeks or has been in contact with a sick animal, and let us know if the dog is on medication. Ask them to keep children seated rather than letting them run between runs.
What you promise: clean bedding per animal, disinfected surfaces between animals, staff who wash hands between animals, and a call to the owner if the animal shows signs of illness during the stay. Put a phone number and an email on the notice, and date it, so people can see it is current.
Post the same notice on your booking page and in your confirmation email. A customer who reads it before arriving is easier to deal with than one who reads it at the counter.
What is a fair staff sickness and return to work policy?
Fair means two things at once: staff are not punished for being ill, and ill staff do not handle animals or customers. Those goals are compatible, and a written rule is what makes them compatible.
Set a clear line for staying home. Vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, a new persistent cough, or an infected wound on the hands or forearms means no work with animals and no work at the counter. Say how long: a common and defensible rule is at least 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea, and until fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. For a cough or a cold, follow the same logic as any workplace: stay home while you feel worst, and wear a mask and keep distance when you return if you are still coughing.
Say who decides. The manager on duty, not the person who is ill, and not a colleague who wants the shift covered. If the manager is the one who is ill, the deputy decides.
Say what happens to pay and shifts. If you can, offer paid sick leave or a guaranteed minimum shift for the first two days, because an unpaid sick day is the fastest way to get a sick groomer holding a clipper. If paid leave is not possible, be honest about it in the policy and offer alternatives: a shift swap, a shorter day on lighter duties away from animals, or a temporary move to admin and phone work.
Say what return looks like. A short check-in with the manager before the first shift back: are you well enough for a full day, do you need lighter duties, do you need a mask. Record it. If someone has had a confirmed infection that can pass to animals or people, ask them to check with their own doctor before returning, and follow that advice.
What does a written plan actually change?
It changes the small decisions. Whether the mop bucket is emptied after the last run or left overnight. Whether a dog with a runny nose is accepted because the owner is already in the car park. Whether a groomer with a stomach bug comes in because nobody else can cover. A plan does not remove those moments, but it gives the person at the counter a sentence to say and a reason to say it.
It also protects the business. If a customer complains, or if two animals fall ill after a stay, you can show what you did, when, and who did it. That record is worth more than any assurance given verbally at the door.
Do I need certification or an outside scheme?
No, not to run a clean premises. Certification schemes exist in several countries, and they usually ask for the same things: a written plan, a cleaning schedule, staff training records and a customer-facing notice. If you already have those, applying to a scheme is mostly paperwork. If you do not, the scheme will not write the plan for you.
Start with the four parts above. Write them this week, print them, and put the customer notice on the wall. Then improve it as you learn what actually happens on your busiest day.