Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Bournemouth

Fourteen dog day-care, boarding-kennels and home-boarding businesses are listed for Bournemouth, split between two licensing authorities: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council covers twelve of them, and Dorset Council covers the two Ferndown-area businesses. Whichever council issued it, a licence is worth asking to see before you book, alongside a plain answer on vaccinations and any breed policy.

Vaccinations

Every kennels, home boarder and day care sets its own vaccination policy, so ask what a business requires and how far in advance, rather than assuming one rule covers all fourteen. Dog Tails Home Boarding, in Kinson, also asks about microchipping and parasite treatment before a stay; raise kennel-cough cover directly with whichever business you call, since practice varies from one to the next.

Licences

BCP Council publishes a single downloadable register covering all its licensed activity, including the twelve Bournemouth-area businesses here; ten of them are matched to a row on that register, all currently rated 5 stars. SoBo Hounds and Personal Pet Care could not be matched to a BCP register row under their trading names, so no licence details are shown for either on this site; ask each directly about its current licence. Dorset Council, which covers Ferndown and West Moors, publishes no downloadable list at all, only a one-business-at-a-time online lookup tool, so the licences stated by Country Kennels Dorset and Dorset Paws & Snores are self-reported by the businesses rather than confirmed against a register.

Breed policies and insurance

A boarding or day-care business is entitled to ask about a dog's breed and set its own conditions, including for an XL Bully, so ask directly rather than assuming either way. If a business states on its own site that it holds public liability insurance, treat that as something the business says about itself; this directory has no way to check an insurance claim independently, so ask to see evidence if it matters to your decision.

Questions to ask before you book

• What vaccinations do you need before the stay, and how far in advance?
• Do you have a policy on kennel cough cover?
• Do you have any breed policies I should know about, including for an XL Bully?
• Do you say you hold public liability insurance, and can I see evidence of it?
• Will my dog share a room, kennel or garden with other dogs, and how often?
• What happens if my dog needs a vet while staying with you, and who decides that?
• Is there a discount for a second dog from the same household?

What "licensed" actually covers

A licence covers premises or household standards, record-keeping and how many dogs a business may keep at once; it does not fix a price, guarantee a particular room, or promise a certain group size, so ask those questions separately even once a licence is confirmed. Bournemouth's ten BCP-matched businesses all currently carry the same 5-star rating, but a star score is a snapshot from a business's last inspection, not a promise about the stay you book.