How to choose dog boarding or day care in Bath and north-east Somerset

Fourteen dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed for Bath and north-east Somerset, split across four areas: five in Bath city centre and Widcombe, four in Bath south and Combe Down, four in Radstock, Midsomer Norton and Paulton, and one in Bradford-on-Avon (Friends for Pets Bath, listed under Bath city centre and Widcombe, also covers Bradford-on-Avon under a second, separately licensed side of its franchise). Nine are home boarders, two run boarding kennels, and three run day care from a dedicated farm or field site rather than a home (a further business, Woodborough Gardens Kennels & Cattery, combines kennels with day care). What matters most when choosing depends on which of these you need.

Home boarding, kennels or day care

Nine businesses board dogs in the boarder's own home: Bailbrook Dogs, Friends for Pets Bath, Doggy Daycare Bath and Dog and Cat Care in the Bath city centre and Widcombe area; Paddy Paws and Wags & Walks Pet Service in Bath south and Combe Down; and Casico Dog Apartments, Midsomer Mutts and Bella Boarding in Radstock, Midsomer Norton and Paulton. As with any home boarder, only the area and town are shown on each listing; the street address is given once you book. Ask how many other dogs will be in the house during your dates, and whether they are all from one household or several. Hyver Boarding Kennels and Woodborough Gardens Kennels & Cattery run purpose-built kennels in the Bath south and Combe Down area, and Doggy Doos, Farm Fields Dog Day Care and WestWoofs run day care from a dedicated farm or field site, in Bath, Radstock and Bradford-on-Avon respectively.

The council licence in this area

Thirteen of the fourteen businesses here sit in the Bath and North East Somerset Council area, which publishes its licences through a third-party mirror register giving a licence number and expiry for most operators; ten of those thirteen have a licence this research could confirm directly against that register, each shown with its own "Council licence" block on the listing (the mirror does not carry an adopted-register star score for this council, so no star is shown for any of the ten). The remaining three BANES-area businesses — Dog and Cat Care, Woodborough Gardens Kennels & Cattery and Bella Boarding — could not be matched to a confirmed register entry, so no licence block is shown for them; ask to see their current licence certificate when you call. WestWoofs, the one business listed under Bradford-on-Avon, is licensed by Wiltshire Council instead, but Wiltshire's own register was not accessible for this research (its online portal and both of its PDF registers all blocked automated access), so it is shown on the strength of its own published licence details rather than a confirmed register match, and Bradford-on-Avon's listed supply is thin as a result. Friends for Pets Bath, listed under Bath city centre and Widcombe, also states a separate Wiltshire Council licence for the Bradford-on-Avon side of its franchise, on the same unconfirmed basis. Call Wiltshire Council directly if you want to check a Bradford-on-Avon licence yourself. Customer review ratings are a separate matter from licensing: no Bath business currently shows one here, because a rating is only shown from an independent review site with a verifiable link and at least three reviews.

Questions to ask

• What vaccinations do you require, and how long before the stay do you need to see proof of them?
• Do you have a policy on kennel cough, and what is it?
• Do you have any breed restrictions or conditions, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate?
• How many other dogs, and from how many households, will be there during my dates?
• How is medication given during a stay, and is there an extra charge for it?
• What happens if my dog needs a vet while it is in your care?

None of these are questions this directory can answer on a business's behalf, and none of the businesses listed here publish a vaccination schedule or a breed policy beyond what appears in their own licence, so put them to the business directly before you book. See our Bath prices guide for what the two businesses that publish a price actually charge.