How To Choose a Dog Day Care (UK)

Recently we found ourselves in the position where we have needed to seek out a dog day care for our dachshund due to a change in personal working circumstances, and I initially had no idea where to start looking! There are so many different types of day care, kennels, pet sitters and dog walkers out there, it seemed like a bit of a minefield as we had never had to use such a service before. In the effort to find a suitable pet care provider to take the best care of our boy, I really did my research to find out what the requirements are in the UK and to find someone that met our expectations and needs, so I thought it would be worth sharing some of the things we learned and considerations to think about if you are also looking for dog day care in the UK.

Ensure the provider is licensed

In the UK, it is a legal requirement under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 and under guidelines from DEFRA for any dog day care service or dog boarding establishment to obtain a licence from their local council if they’re carried out as a commercial business. There are minimum standards these providers have to meet and also the opportunity to achieve a higher standard of license (4 or 5 stars) which means they have to adhere to stricter standards, but also will be issued a license for a longer period of time. It’s important to make sure you check that the provider you are enquiring with is licensed, ask to see their license number (it should also be well displayed on any website or social media they operate) and also check to make sure it is a current, valid license - you should be able to do this online with your local council. It is illegal for a business to be offering these services without a license, and the license ensures that the provider you are using is inspected regularly and regulated, which will help to keep your pet safe.

Other services like dog walking and dog sitting don’t require licenses in the same way, so this is a lot more unregulated and potentially riskier, so it’s always important to ensure whatever type of provider you opt for, that they have insurance in place, to make sure that you are protected if something goes wrong.

When we were looking for a day care provider for our dachshund, we were keen to find one that had a 5 star rating with our local council, and this was easy to check online on the council register.

License requirements

Under their license, the dog day care provider will have restrictions on how many animals they can operate with in their care on a daily basis, and how many they can provide boarding for at the same time (if relevant), and number of animals per staff member, with strict guidance and adhoc inspections. If unsure, ask questions before committing to any service.

Check for insurance

In line with the above, it’s important to check for appropriate insurance policies, and ask the provider to give you details if needed. There are different types of insurance for different activities, all providers should at minimum have Public Liability Insurance in place, but may also have other policies like Keyholder Insurance and Chaperone Insurance if they provide other services such as collecting / dropping off dogs at your property, or offering pop-ins or dog walks from your property.

It’s also worth asking what other qualifications they may have e.g. are they animal first aid trained, as this can help give you further peace of mind.

Meet and greet before you commit

Choosing a pet care provider for daycare or boarding is a big commitment, and it’s important to make sure you are happy to leave your dog in their care. Ideally seek out an opportunity for a meet and greet if possible, so that you can see the environment your dog or dogs will be cared for in, meet any staff, and ask any follow up questions you may have. This is going to be the best way to assess whether the provider is a good fit for you and your dog. The provider we ended up choosing for our dachshund offered a meet and greet session to meet their own dogs and some of the boarding dogs, and to meet them in person before we had agreed to anything, as well as talking us through and signing all their policies and terms and conditions.