Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Blackpool and the Fylde coast

Booking dog boarding or day care in Blackpool and the Fylde coast means handing your dog, and your house key or address, to somebody you have not met before. Thirteen businesses are listed here, across three council areas, and a short phone call before you book answers most of what matters: whether the place is currently licensed, how it handles vaccinations and medication, and how many other dogs will be there with yours.

Ask about the licence first

All three councils covering this area — Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre — require a licence for boarding kennels, home boarding and day care. Ten of the thirteen businesses listed here have a licence confirmed against a council register or its mirror. K9 Daycare and Alpha Pet Care both state on their own sites that they are licensed, but neither could be matched to an entry on Blackpool Council's register under their trading name; Holidays for Dogs' licence, per the register mirror covering Wyre, shows an expiry date that had already passed by the time this was checked. None of this proves a business is unlicensed — a licence can sit under an individual's name this research did not surface, or a renewal can be pending — but it is a fair question to put directly: ask to see a current licence certificate and which council issued it, rather than taking a website's word for it.

Vaccinations and kennel cough

Every boarder and day care sets its own vaccination policy, and this varies by business and by vet, so ask what vaccinations a business requires and how long before your dog's stay it needs proof. The same goes for kennel cough: policies differ from one business to the next, so ask directly rather than assuming a rule applies here that might apply somewhere else.

Group sizes and medication

Ask how many other dogs will be there during your dates, and whether they come from one household or several — this matters more at a home boarder, where your dog may be sharing a house rather than an individual kennel, than at a premises-based kennels with separate runs. If your dog needs medication during the stay, ask how it is given and whether there is an extra charge; several of the businesses listed here, including Balmoral Boarding Kennels & Cattery, mention medication as part of their service.

Insurance and breed policies

A business may state on its own site that it holds public liability insurance; treat this as the business's own claim rather than something this directory has verified, and ask to see evidence of current cover if it matters to you. The same applies to breed policies: a boarder or kennels is entitled to ask about or restrict a particular breed, including asking to see an XL Bully's exemption certificate, so it is worth checking before you book rather than on the day.

Questions worth writing down

• Can I see your current council licence certificate, and which council issued it?
• What vaccinations do you require, and how long before my dog's stay do you need proof?
• What is your policy on kennel cough?
• How many other dogs will be there during my dates, and from how many households?
• How is medication given, and is there an extra charge?
• Do you have any breed policies I should know about?

See our guide to how the three councils here license dog boarders for more on what each register does and does not show.