Tamil Nadu is set to introduce a policy to regulate the increasing number of dog boarding homes, training academies, and grooming centers in the city. The state has prohibited home boarding, breeding, and sedation of animals. Boarding facilities are required to have a shops and establishment certificate, commercial electricity connection, CCTV cameras with 45-day footage, and documented health records of boarded pets. Vaccination certificates are mandatory for admission. Boarding kennels must provide 36sqft per dog, along with play areas and temperature-controlled shelters, especially for cold-climate breeds like Huskies and Saint Bernards. Facilities must keep food stock logs, medical records, adoption and death protocols, and undergo fumigation every 15 days using pet-safe disinfectants. A veterinarian must be available on call, and night-care staff are compulsory. For grooming centers, certified groomers, clean stations, temperature-controlled blowers, and on-call vets are required. Procedures like tail docking, ear cropping, and sedation are prohibited. Currently, none of the pet boarding or training centers are registered, and there are no monitoring regulations in place. Owners have reported instances of dog cruelty in boarding centers, with individuals converting homes into boarding facilities and breeding 20 to 30 dogs. The proposed rules, to be enforced by the Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB), mandate all boarding and grooming establishments to register with the board and renew their licenses every two years. The policy also establishes licensing and ethical standards for dog trainers, allowing only positive reinforcement techniques and banning tools like shock or prong collars. Trainers must complete a TNAWB-certified course and submit reports on trained dogs and methods used. Boarding centers are required to offer video calls for owners who are away for extended periods. Violations of the regulations will lead to inspections, license revocation, and potential legal action under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. N Subbaiyan, the animal husbandry department secretary, expressed concerns about people keeping large numbers of animals in their homes turned boarding centers, emphasizing the need for verification and enforcement of licenses. To address issues related to horse care and joyrides, the Tamil Nadu government has formulated strict norms for licensing and ensuring the welfare of ponies, donkeys, and mules used for tourism and haulage. Following reports of the deaths of 31 microchipped horses out of 122 in the city last year, regulations are being introduced. The rules mandate owners to obtain licenses from the local body and register them with the TNAWB. Health certificates, vaccination records, and microchipping are now mandatory, and individuals with records of animal cruelty cases or FIRs against them will be prohibited from obtaining licenses. The policy specifies minimum stable sizes, weatherproof shelters, and care protocols for horses, ponies, and stallions. Local bodies are tasked with monitoring stables, imposing fines, and taking action against negligent owners. Daily grooming, hoof trimming, and body condition scoring are mandatory, with severe consequences for cases of neglect leading to permanent bans and public disclosure of offenders' names. The government has prohibited the use of equines over 20 years old or beyond the sixth month of pregnancy for work. Owners are required to feed them a minimum of 3% of their body weight daily. Those whose horses are confiscated will receive alternative livelihood support through the government's Naan Muthalvan scheme.